Daughter of Arianrhod
by Minstrel'sTales
Summary: AU. After a sudden attack, princess Hale of Actica sets off to Camelot to find aid for her kingdom. As strange dreams torment her sleep, she finds new friends, an old love, and the Knights of the Round Table to help save her kingdom and only home. REVISED/EDITED 3/8/14
1. Chapter 1: Remembrance

**Disclaimer**: We do not own Merlin - all rights go to BBC and Shine Unlimited. Hale, Cairon, Jade, Ide, Actica and all of its characters belong to us, though.

_**PART ONE**_

_Walk onto the path ahead_

_You'll see yourself the things unsaid._

_Of the past and future though it's dim_

_The light ahead it seems so grim._

_Walk into the lion's den_

_The past it will repeat again._

_Treading on a road you know_

_The sweet waters seem to flow_

_Though a battle's on the brink_

_Two more lives will interlink_

_Wait for her, she'll guide you through_

_Where the silver lights look so few._

_Where Sky and Earth seem to meet_

_You'll see a dancer on the whitest sheet._

_When every lie turns into truth_

_You'll see old eyes full of youth._

_Something small full of rage_

_You release it from its cage._

_Traveling on the road beyond_

_What you knew is now gone._

_The hearts you will have to mend_

_Will then bring your story to an end._

**Chapter 1: Remembrance**

I looked out the tall glass window in my bedroom, absentmindedly fiddling with my necklace. Tall pine trees cast shadows across the kingdom. I breathed in slowly as I observed the peaceful twilight. I could see the tall, majestic mountains with their snow-capped peaks standing tall and proud in the distance. As I was taking in nature's beauty, something from the corner of the window caught my eye. It was a butterfly. I gasped when I realized that it was glowing a soft light blue. Emotions welled up inside of me as I tried not to think of the thought that had been stored away somewhere far in the back of my mind. This was the first time in years I'd thought about my father. The thought was too unbearable. Before indulging in my self-pity, a small smile crept across my face as I remembered a distant childhood memory.

* * *

><p><em>I remembered seeing butterflies as a young child, and asking my father where they came from. He had asked me why I was so keen to know this. They were the most beautiful things that I had ever come across, was my answer. A butterfly flew over us and my father put out a delicate finger, which was surprising because he was all muscle, and I couldn't believe anyone built like that could be so soft. It landed on his fingers, and its wings continued to flutter slowly.<em>

_"They are really faeries," he'd whispered as he stroked my dark curly hair. "This one is here to protect you." I knew it wasn't really a faerie, because he didn't believe in magic, so neither did I, but I remembered there was something different about this butterfly. I could feel it, and I knew that he could feel it as well. He slowly passed the butterfly to me and I squealed in delight. The startled butterfly quickly fluttered off across the field. I remember studying his face. He looked worried and sad. It looked like tears were gathering in the corners of his eyes. He must have felt my eyes on him, because his whole expression changed as he smiled and looked down at me. He took my little hand in his, and we both looked out across the field as we watched that beautiful butterfly fly away._

* * *

><p>That was the last time I ever saw one. Then a rush of memories flooded my head as I remembered the night my father was killed.<p>

* * *

><p><em>There had been a bar fight between him and some traveler from the West. It was rumored that he, his nephew, and his brother's wife had just come back from Camelot begging King Uther for money. I couldn't remember why, but I heard something about the boy's father being a knight who died in the battle against magic, a substance that I didn't believe existed. My father had been a little too drunk that night and he started arguing about how King Uther was mad, and how he would be the death of us all. There was more arguing between the men, and then the fight went from being verbal to physical. I was used to these sorts of things, the fights. I knew how to dodge blows, and even throw some blows myself. I was better at swordplay than most of the village boys, even the ones that were years older than I. After much chaos, it should have slowly died down from there, but then the unimaginable happened. The pub started to burn. Later, I would find out that one of the idiots in the pub had accidentally knocked his drink into the fire.<em>

_Smoke filled my nostrils as I frantically looked around for my father. The smoke burnt my eyes, and it was getting harder to breathe. I had never felt so terrified in my life. I glanced at my hands: they were raw from burning, and my olive skin was black with soot. As I thought I was surely going to die, a strong arm grabbed me around the waist and heaved me over their shoulders. I didn't know who it was. I really didn't care. I felt weak, and a huge wave of sleepiness crept throughout my body. Time flew by; before I knew it, we were already up the hill that overlooked the whole valley. Suddenly a wave of strength overtook me as I looked and saw who was carrying me. It was the boy whose uncle had started the whole fight with my father. I kicked him in the groin, and he obviously didn't see that coming because he dropped me. I hit the ground hard, but I was used to falling hard. I jumped up and I saw that he was still distracted by the pain in his stomach. He looked to be about the age of eighteen. I took that chance to run. I hadn't seen my father, and as I watched the flames grow higher, an overbearing feeling of dread crept through my heart down to the very depths of my soul. I ran until my legs were numb and I couldn't run anymore. There was no way anyone could have survived that fire. So how did I? Why did that boy save me? I looked back and I saw -_

"Why are you just standing there like a statue? Can't you hear me yelling at you?"

That shrill voice brought me back to reality. Everything I just saw, it felt like I was reliving it. Like it was actually happening all over again. I looked outside and saw that the butterfly was gone. I whipped around and was about to roll my eyes when I saw Helwys' expression. First her face was twisted in a disdainful look, and then her expression softened. I was wondering why she was looking at me like that; most of her glances consisted of glares and anger. Then I realized that tears were continuously flowing down my cheeks and I was shaking. I hastily regained my composure and wiped my tears away. I tried to smile, and when she saw I was in a better mood her eyes turned harsh again. I thought nothing of it, and I was kind of relieved she was back to her normal self. I couldn't think of one day when she didn't hate me. I don't know what I did to make the king's servant hate me so. She was a petite woman of about forty; her small, thin nose was the cause for her high, shrill voice. Her small beady brown eyes were always intense, and her face looked as if it was stuck in a permanent scowl. She had age lines on both sides of her mouth, and deep wrinkles in her forehead. Despite all of this, she carried herself well, putting about a foot more to her actual height. I wouldn't be the first to say she intimidated me.

"Of course I can Helwys, I was just…thinking."

"Thinking? You should leave the thinking to the men. Now come. The king has asked for an audience with you." Audience? Why would the king want an audience with me? Well, it's not like I have a choice. The king hadn't talked to me since the day he took me in after my father died. I felt honored, but at the same time a little bit scared. After all these years, the king wants to talk to me now? It must be important. As I headed for the door, pounding feet echoed through the hallway outside my room. Before I knew it, Prince Rowan and Prince Henry stormed through the door, sending Helwys across the room. Rowan had a sword in hand, and Henry had two. It didn't take me any time at all to realize what was going on. Henry passed me a sword, and I caught it with ease. We all circled around each other. Rowan and Henry's faces smiled darkly at me. I returned the smiles and expertly twirled the sword in my hand. Henry and Rowan both looked at each other and grinned. They looked back at me and lashed out. The sword almost scraped against my arm, but I instinctively put out my sword in defense. I didn't expect the blow to be as strong as it was, and I stumbled back onto my bed. They advanced towards me, and I felt almost trapped, but then I remembered a trick I had been practicing. It was simple, and I hoped it would work now.

I sat there helplessly as the two princes held their swords up high, about to pierce my heart. At the very last second I jumped onto the bed, my legs "accidentally" kicking the swords out of their hands. My necklace thudded against my chest as I landed on my feet. They stared in shock, as I was now the only one with a sword. I laughed mockingly and cast my sword aside. They looked at each other again, which kind of confused me. In a flash, I had been knocked off my feet, and hit hard on the bed. We were all wrestling now. Henry grabbed my head and put it in a headlock as he rustled up my hair. Rowan was about to give me a nice blow to the stomach when we heard Helwys (who we had completely forgotten about) mumbling, "Y-you-your majesty. I-I can assure you it was out of my power to do anything. I was just about to ask her to come..."

All three of our heads spun around to see the king's arms crossed, glaring at us all. Helewys was shaking and stuttering about something I couldn't understand. We all let go of each other slowly, and walked up to him. I couldn't bear to make eye contact with him. I heard him sigh in frustration. My hair was a mess and my clothes were all crumpled. This was not the way I wanted to see the king after all these years.

"Get out of my sight. Go now." I looked up when I thought he was talking to me. I saw that he was talking to his sons, and relaxed a little. But I didn't take my eyes off of him. I had seen the king before, but not up close like this. He had icy blue eyes and jet-black hair. He didn't look like he could be over forty, but I knew he was. As I looked closely, I started to see why he looked so very similar to someone I'd seen before. His son Rowan was the spitting image of his father, except he had dark brown eyes. His skin was tanned from days of combat training outside, and his dark chocolate hair almost went down to his shoulders. Henry, on the other hand, looked nothing like his father. His hair was a golden brown color and he was heavily built with jovial, sparkling blue eyes. He was paler than his twin brother (yes, they're twins, I was shocked myself). The king was equally handsome, or possibly even more so than his sons. He was clean-shaven and his hair was cropped short. He wore the crown on his head as well as a ring with the seal of the royal family. King Hadrian of Actica was one of the noblest men in the kingdom. He had maintained peace for over forty years, and tried to avoid wars and feuds with other kingdoms, especially Camelot. King Uther of Camelot had banned magic in his kingdom and killed all those with magic powers that crossed his path. Actica wasn't against magic, but the king didn't encourage the use of magic either. Actica became a safe haven for those who were too scared to live in Camelot and freely use magic.

Once Rowan and Henry left the room, the king had Helwys shut the door behind her, leaving just him and I alone in the room. My heart nearly jolted out of my chest as his eyes looked into mine. I was surprised to see that his eyes looked very old and tired. They were soft as he scanned my face and I scanned his. I was wondering why he hadn't started yelling at me, when he spoke. I loved to hear the king talk. He had a powerful melodic voice that made you want to hold on to every word he said.

"Hale -", It was exciting to hear him say my name. "My goodness, it's been such a long time." It sounded as if he was trying to hold back tears. Interesting. He didn't look like the type to cry. He gently put his gloved hands on my shoulders and smiled. He leaned back and studied me, like distant relatives did when they saw young children grown up. He stopped smiling, but you could still feel the joy radiating from his skin. "There are many things we need to discuss, some things I've been meaning to tell you." He didn't say anything, and I waited patiently for him to continue. He paced around my room. Then he turned to stop in front of the big glass window overlooking the forest.

"Years ago, a baby girl was born in a small room in the castle. The girl looked nothing like her mother or father for she didn't belong to either one of them. They could feel the strength and power emanating from the child even as she exited her mother's womb. She was born to be a ruler. However, it was too much effort for the mother in the end; she died in labor. She left behind a broken-hearted and lonely father, who knew nothing about raising a child, let alone a girl. She was hidden for years because her father was only trying to protect her and the people around her. That girl is grown up now, and she's in more danger than she realizes, but she mustn't fret, because she is safe for now." He turned around and looked at me. "What I am about to tell you will shock you. Your whole world will be viewed differently." I didn't react; I just waited for him to tell me. I wasn't too eager to hear this because my life was perfect enough. I didn't know how what he was about to say would be life changing. "You," he hesitated for a while. "You're my daughter." My mind blanked. _Daughter?_ That's impossible.

"You're lying." I was saying this more to myself than to him. I repeated this in my head over and over again, trying to convince myself that this was just a trick, just a joke. That whole story was about me? He gave me to the man I thought was my father, and hid me from my real one?

"The first thing my daughter says to me is that I am a liar." He stepped away from me and sighed. "I know this must be hard for you. All these years you've been living a lie. Here, take this." He pulled out something from under his black leather coat. It was a round indigo amulet with an elaborate golden design on it that shimmered in the candlelight. He was about to put it around my neck, but then suddenly stopped. He put it onto my bed and came back. "Let's replace this old thing." He was about to unhook the necklace I was wearing, but I grabbed his arm. He looked at me in shock. Nice way for me to ruin a perfectly sweet family reunion.

"You can't take this!" I exclaimed. He glared at me in shock and annoyance.

"You would rather have that old thing than this priceless amulet? Do you know how much this cost me? I searched for years to find you the perfect gift, and this is how you thank me?" He was fuming mad. I could have been frank with him, and told him that this necklace meant more to me than all of the riches in the world, but he wouldn't have understood anyways. Plus, I didn't want to make the situation worse than it already was.

"I am grateful... father." Oh, that word! It was foreign to my tongue. "But you can't replace this. This is the only thing I have left of my past," I lied, but I didn't want to get into a conversation about the real reason why I held onto this, the reason that kept me hopeful about the future. He took my necklace, which had a small, round crystal-like stone at the base. It was wrapped around a thin wooden thread. On the thread were two small green and black crystals. Inside was a golden shimmering leaf.

"Well, at your ceremony you are going to wear this amulet I gave you. It's a symbol of your royalty," the king - my father - informed me.

"Wait! What ceremony? It can't be my coronation...!" I was starting to become alarmed.

He laughed. "No, of course it isn't your coronation. Did I say ceremony? It's more of a celebration, welcoming you as my daughter. As princess of Actica." He beamed, and I smiled back. Secretly, I wasn't too thrilled. Suddenly I felt very tired, and turned down the king's offer of dinner. After the king - my _father_ left, I changed into my green blouse and black pants and blew out the candles in my room. I dropped onto my bed and closed my eyes, reliving the events of the day in my head. Something was strange, though, about what the king had said. _How could I be his daughter?_ I kept asking myself. Some things just didn't seem to fit. If I was his daughter, then why was I led to believe that I was a blacksmith's daughter for my whole life? Was the death of my peasant mother also a lie, or was the Queen my real mother? I reminded myself to ask him that later.

I lay on the bed for what seemed like hours. What scared me most about the story was that he said the baby, _me_, was the one that killed my mother. It was my fault. I put my hand to the necklace the king disliked so much, hoping for a sense of calm. Instead, I yelped as I threw my hand away from it. It was very hot to the touch. My eyes flew open as I tried to take it off from around my neck. My bed faced the huge window, and when I saw that little blue butterfly there, the burning sensation went away. That was strange, but I was too tired by then to care. Within seconds I was fast asleep.

* * *

><p><em>Smoke filled my lungs and nostrils as I frantically looked around for my father. The smoke burnt my eyes, and it was getting harder to breathe. I had never felt so terrified in my life. As I thought I was surely going to die, a strong arm grabbed me around the waist and heaved me over their shoulders. I didn't know who it was, and I really didn't care. I felt weak, and a huge wave of sleepiness crept throughout my body. Time flew by; before I knew it, we were already up the hill that overlooked the whole valley. Suddenly, a wave of strength overtook me as I looked and saw who was carrying me. It was the boy whose uncle had started the whole fight with my father. I kicked him in the groin, and he obviously didn't see that coming because he dropped me. I hit the ground hard, but I was used to falling hard. I jumped up and saw that he was still distracted by the pain in his stomach. I took that chance to run. I hadn't seen my father, and as I watched the flames grow higher, an overbearing feeling of dread crept through my heart down to the very depths of my soul. I ran until my legs were numb and I couldn't run anymore. There was no way anyone could have survived that fire. So how did I? Why did that boy save me? I looked back and I saw the boy coming towards me. He lifted me up with strong arms. I didn't even resist this time. I felt like I was going to explode. My heart seemed to cease working. I felt very lost. I knew my father had died; I could feel it. Oh, why did this stupid boy have to save me? I had no one in this world now that both my mother and father were dead. We got back to the top of the hill and he put me down. I felt so empty. He sat down and collapsed next to me. I looked at him to see what he really looked like. I couldn't quite tell because it was so dark, but the flames from burning pub let me see that his face was black with soot. I saw tears rolling down his cheeks, tracing paths through the soot. I realized that I was crying too. We looked at each other for a long time. After I got my strength back, I asked him why he was crying.<em>

_"Do you see anybody with me?" I realized his mother and uncle were both absent._

_"I'm so sorry," I whispered. He just nodded. His face was grim as he looked down the hill where the enormous flames engulfed both of our families. I could see the fire dancing in his eyes. Then he grimaced as he tried to get up. I looked to see that his shirt was bleeding and scorched. I told him that I could help him. We walked down the hill to where my small house was. My father was the blacksmith, but he also cared for the king's knights when they were injured. I knew how to treat this. When we got to my house, I told him he could take my bed. I ran to check all of the cabinets to see what I could find. Yes! I found what I was looking for. It was Wych Elm. I crushed some of the dried herb into a pot of boiling water. I infused it for a few minutes before straining the tea. I sat next to him and gave him the cup. He gulped it down in seconds. I wondered how he could do that because I never could stand the taste of it. He gave me the cup, and I thought I saw a hint of a smile. I took the cup to the kitchen, and when I came back to ask him if he wanted some water to wash off with, he was already asleep. I pulled the sheets over him and tried to make him as comfortable as possible. There was a bright light, so bright that it almost blinded me. It faded with my vision and I was soon asleep._

* * *

><p>The strong sunlight woke me up suddenly and I saw Helwys looking at me, hands on her hips. "Come on now, you've gotten your beauty sleep." I rubbed my eyes. I was still dazed from my very vivid dream. I followed her as she walked to my dresser and searched through dresses for me to wear. But there weren't any. All I had were tunics and tights. I couldn't bear the thought of wearing a dress! Dresses weren't meant to move in, or do anything useful in for that matter. I was moving constantly; therefore I couldn't wear a dress. Helewys slammed the doors shut and stormed out of my room. I was very confused and just scratched my head. I got out of bed, closed the windows and went back to sleep.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2: Lady Knight

**Chapter 2: Lady Knight**

It had been only a couple of weeks since I got the news that my father was actually the king. I still hadn't asked him the question that was burning at the back of my mind: Who was my mother? And who was the man I thought was my father for all of these years? Henry and Rowan were shocked when they found out that I was their sister, but they still treated me like they always did, which was a relief. They used me as their training partner. I was really good, better than them, but they would never admit it.

We were practicing some new sword techniques outside when the king walked up. He didn't look too happy. His sons stopped in their tracks and bowed. He just stood there for a moment, and I wondered why he didn't say anything. Then I remembered that I didn't bow, so I hastily bobbed my head. He grimaced when he saw the sword in my hand. I knew it was against the laws of Actica for a woman to engage in combat, or to even wield a sword for that matter. Though I tried to argue my point that I needed to fight, that it was in my blood, he wouldn't have it.

"What other things do you like to do? Do you like to, uh, sew?" Sew? Sewing was the most boring thing _anybody_ could do. It may be useful, but it's hopelessly BORING. I guess he saw the disgust on my face because he suggested something else, which in my opinion was far worse than sewing.

"Well, I think I need to send you to get retrained." Retrained? To do what? He must have seen the question on my face because he answered, "To act more like a woman. You have a man's gait and stance. You bow, not curtsy when you see me. I doubt you know how to dance. You hardly have any good manners as it is." Who did this man think he was? "You must be perfect when King Owain of Anturand, King Aed of Pelyron, and King Cenred come for your celebrations." _Cenred?_ My father must be crazy! Cenred was a bloodthirsty man who only caused trouble wherever he went.

"I will try my best to act like a foolish girl who doesn't know anything but good food, fine clothes, and how to charm a man." He heard the sarcasm in my voice and he sighed. "I'm sorry father, but the only thing I know how to do is fight with a sword in my hand."

"Hmm. Well, what if I make you a deal? If you agree to behave properly in public, I will make you head of the knights." I nodded eagerly. If being able to hone my skills meant I would have to dress up every once in a while, I would do it. The king continued, "I've seen the way you fight. Your techniques are exquisite. But no one is to know about this." He looked at Rowan and Henry. They both nodded their heads quickly. "If anyone finds out, your life will be threatened. All of the credit must go to me." I agreed. I knew of the consequences if anyone found out about our deal.

* * *

><p>For weeks, I helped train my father's men. I was only in charge of the sword skills; I could use a bow, but it definitely wasn't my best weapon. Maces, clubs, axes... all were too bulky and unreliable for me. The sword was a completely different story. Once I had it in my hand, it became an extension of me. Many of the prospective knights would come in overconfident in their abilities, and it was kind of amusing to see their faces when I managed to knock the sword out of their hands within minutes. I always managed to hide my laughter and respectfully show them what exactly they had done wrong, but afterwards I always had a good laugh with my brothers. It was especially funny to think about what their reaction would be if they knew I was a woman. Of course, I always wore a helmet during sessions because if any of the men were to find out I was a woman... well, things would get ugly. My father only recruited them because he trusted them with his life, but even so, I knew what drinking could do to a man. Things tended to slip out without their notice, and they rarely remembered what they said. I learned that the hard way.<p>

One day, as I was dismissing the group, one of the men sauntered back to where I was beginning to straighten up. I looked up as he approached.

"Yes?" I asked politely. He grinned jeeringly at me.

"Sir, I was just wondering... why is it you always wear that there helmet? Doesn't it get mighty hot?" I deliberately started organizing the area, not answering him. He shuffled closer. "You look mighty hot there, sir. Let me just -" He made a grab for my helmet, but I quickly whirled away before he could snatch it off my head. "What are you hiding?"

"Is this how you'll be treating all of your superiors?" I asked. My voice was soft and deadly. He took a step back. "If that's how you intend to move up, I can guarantee that you won't get far at all, and you will probably be thrown out of the ranks," I hissed. His eyes narrowed.

"Oh yeah? And what makes you so sure? You ain't a knight, I can tell. So why are you training us?" Now I was getting mad. I grabbed two swords and deftly threw one to him. He just barely caught it.

"It appears you are asking for a test," I said, beginning to circle him. He held his sword with both hands. "Here's your chance to prove yourself." He grinned.

"And if I win?" he jeered.

"I take off the helmet." He stopped moving for a moment, then his face split in a wide, greasy grin. Why my father entrusted his life to the likes of him, I didn't know. We continued circling for a moment, and then he made a jab at me. Big mistake; one of my personal rules was never to make the first move. It gives your opponent the advantage of building off that move. In a flash, I had parried his blow and dealt a blow of my own at the same time. He stumbled back. I twirled my sword and beckoned. His features twisted in frustration and he lunged at me. Our swords met with a clang. He furiously kept swinging blindly, and each swing I parried. Finally, I got bored, so as he was rushing at me again I neatly put my foot out. The idiot never saw it coming. He tripped and landed on his face. By the time he'd rolled over onto his back, my sword was at his throat. If it had been a real battle, he would have been dead already.

"Let that be a lesson to you," I informed him. Then I put my sword back and walked away.


	3. Chapter 3: Family Matters

**Chapter 3: Family Matters**

A few days after the squabble with the knight, my father invited me to accompany him on a ride through the kingdom. I accepted reluctantly. I didn't really feel like riding with the king, but he was my father and it was about time I spent some time with him.

As I was getting ready in my riding gear, I glanced out the window. It was a gorgeous day. The sun beat down cheerfully, but there was a gentle breeze to balance it out. It was the perfect day to ride. I was soon dressed and headed down to the stables. The king was waiting for me, looking surprisingly normal and relaxed in a tunic and breeches. We both mounted and took off. Riding had never been my favorite pastime, but this wasn't too bad. We soon made it out of the city borders, but we couldn't get too far; the boulders got in the way. We rode in awkward silence for a while. Neither of us was very talkative, and this was the first time we had been alone together as father and daughter. It was King Hadrian who finally decided to break the silence.

"So... how are you enjoying your new life here in the castle?" he inquired casually. "How does it compare to life... before?" I stared straight ahead. There was no comparison; my old life had been infinitely better. I'd grown up with a warm, loving father and had learned valuable life skills I would never learn as a princess. But how could I tell the king that?

"It's very... different," I said finally. He nodded sympathetically, as if he knew what it was like to have his life turned upside down.

"Are you adjusting well?" I bit my lip. He saw my expression and sighed. "I'm sorry, Hale. I know how hard this must be for you. I swear; if you need anything, do not hesitate to ask. I want to make this transition as easy and painless for you as possible." I smiled gratefully at him. I could tell he truly meant it, but I knew there was nothing he could do.

"Yah!" he yelled at the horse. He whipped the reins and I followed suit. I felt the wind passing through my hair like a winter blizzard, but without the cold ice in my eyes. I felt as free as the birds dancing in the sky above me. The drumming of the horses' hooves matched the rhythm of my beating heart. An old song my father used to sing to me reverberated in my head in time with the beat of the horses running through the hills. I could hear my father's voice echoing in my head as he sang.

_The evening star shines brightly_

_As the moon dances on the water_

_Leading you home._

_Now sleep my only daughter_

_Dream of ways to fool the fools._

_When the time comes_

_The song of the moon and stars_

_Will send your heart a-flutter._

_Walk onto the path ahead_

_You'll see yourself the things unsaid._

_Of past and future though it's dim_

_The light ahead it seems so grim._

_Traveling on the road beyond_

_What you knew is now gone._

_The hearts you will have to mend_

_Will then bring my song to an end._

I laughed to myself. King Hadrian turned around and smiled at me. We had a silent race. We were both competitive and wanted to beat each other. As it turns out, King Hadrian was an excellent rider and beat me to the stables. The poor horses were sweating profusely, so we quickly handed the reins to the stable boy and walked back to the castle, completely out of breath. Before we parted ways, the king invited me to dinner, but even though it was technically an invitation I could tell it wasn't an option. I agreed, so he smiled and left.

* * *

><p>I went off to get ready for our evening meal. I walked into my room, which was neat for once. Right next to the door was my veneer dresser. It wasn't that big because I didn't have that many clothes to wear. I didn't need that. Another thing I didn't need was a maid. I could take care of myself just fine, thank you very much. On one side of my bed was a little nightstand made out of the same faded wood as my dresser. It had a big candlestick on it. Next to that was a big vanity mirror. My four-poster bed was at the far end of the room facing the big glass window where I had seen the butterfly the other night. I hadn't seen the butterfly since then, and my necklace hadn't burnt me either.<p>

I washed up and looked in my dresser for something decent to wear. I opened it and I saw a whole array of dresses. I groaned as I remembered that Helwys had annihilated all of my tunics and pants, leaving me with only one pair of pants and one tunic (that I had fought for). I decided to just wear a dress.

After much deliberation and grumbling, I finally chose to wear a floor-length, cream-colored fitted dress with a golden floral lined bodice. I slipped it on and looked into the mirror. My shoulder-length, curly black hair was very messy. I didn't bother to brush it. Instead, I wore a golden circlet the king had given me when he named me princess of Actica. I took off my necklace, which I hardly ever took off, and replaced it with the one the king gave me. As I put it on, I felt a pulse of energy flow through my body. It felt really good, but I didn't know what it was so I shrugged it off and headed towards the dining hall, silently cursing my dress. It still amazes me how women can wear these things. All the way down to the dining hall I was tripping and stumbling. Living your life in dresses could be considered an art in it of itself, like swordplay. It took me so long to get to the dining hall I was pretty sure the king and his sons would have already finished their meals by the time I arrived.

I walked into a great big hall. The lighting was dim with only a few candles to light the gigantic hall. When I got there, I saw that they were waiting patiently, not one piece of food touched. The king was sitting at the far end of a table that could fit almost forty people. I bowed when I saw the king and bowed to my _brothers_. I always wanted brothers. As I got closer, I saw that the meal consisted of prune-stuffed pheasant with some bread and wine. I sat to the right of the king where, conveniently, no one was sitting. They probably planned that out. I smiled and eyed the food hungrily. I didn't feel ashamed that king might be disgusted by my behavior. I took the leg of the pheasant and two pieces of bread. I ignored the wine. I had seen what too much wine could do to you. That past experience left me with a deep scar that could never heal.

"I am glad to see you decided to join us for dinner," the king remarked. I grinned. But then it faded I as remembered a few things I wanted to bring up.

"Father, how could you invite _Cenred_ to the celebrations? He has been an enemy of all your alliances, and is even an enemy of Camelot. Isn't it a risk?"

"Nonsense! Cenred is coming to make amends, and we will sign a peace treaty." Does he honestly believe that? He smiled and raised the goblet of wine to his lips. "Anything else you want to say, speak up now."

"Well -"

"You will not start a sentence with the word 'well' when you are speaking to me." Harsh, I thought.

"Sire, there's one thing that's been on my mind that just won't go away." I hesitated. "Who was my mother?" The king nearly choked on his wine. Rowan and Henry stared wide-eyed, seemingly as curious as I was. When the king didn't answer, Rowan reinforced my question.

"So, father, will you tell us?" The king cleared his throat and mumbled something under his breath. We all stared at him. We must have annoyed him because he finally yelled, "A MAID!"

It seemed like silence descended upon the whole kingdom. I looked down awkwardly and played with my food. We all ate in silence for a while, but then the king broke the silence. "So, I see you decided to get rid of that silly necklace you always wear. The amulet I gave you looks lovely; please don't ever take it off."

"I didn't get rid of it. I just decided to wear this to please you tonight, father." That last word was forced out with hostility. He was taken aback.

"What is so special about that necklace you love so much? Who gave it to you?" I looked down at my lap. Then I looked back up at him.

"Someone very dear to me, who is gone now."

"Oh my dear girl! I know you must still be upset about your father, but that was years ago, and I am your _real_ father. You mustn't forget that!"

I shot up from my seat. I didn't hold myself back when I yelled at him. "_Well_, maybe I don't want you to be! You're not my real father, and you never will be, no matter what story you tell me. You were never around; you never cared like _my father_ did! It's not true! I can't believe I bought such a pathetic lie!" With that said, I stormed out of the room. The whole time, Rowan and Henry stared at us in mid-bite. I ran to my room and slammed the door. I tugged the amulet off my neck and threw it on the ground. I saw the necklace that the king hated so on my nightstand, and I grabbed it. I collapsed on my bed as I clutched it close to my chest and sobbed. I hadn't cried like that in all my life. I suppose all the feelings I had been holding back for the last few years had finally broken me. I cried until my lungs felt numb and I couldn't breathe anymore. Then everything went black as I fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p><em>A memory. Our swords clashed together with a bang. The boy who rescued me from the fire was helping me learn how to fight with a sword. He said that I was the best swordsman - technically swordswoman - he had ever seen. I swung my sword at him, but he jumped and hit the wooden fence behind him. He was trapped. I did a quick move that made him lose his sword. He looked at me with wide eyes, then smiled and put his hands up in surrender. His brown hair was plastered to his face with sweat, and his white shirt was now a brownish color from rolling on the dirt to dodge my blows. He picked up his sword, and we walked into my house. I hated to admit it, but he helped ease the pain of losing my dear father. We supported each other since both of our families were dead. He still hadn't told me his name, but that didn't matter. He was a very charming boy. He would have to be about four years older than I was. He was tanned, with long brown hair almost reaching his shoulders. His eyes were a deep brown color, like the color of the saddles the king's men used. They were the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. His laugh was enough to make my heart jump out of my chest. We were able to get to know each other well. I didn't have any friends, besides my father, but he was gone. The boy was able to fill the emptiness in my heart. I supposed that should have bothered me, that I really didn't miss my father when the boy was around. After a while, I actually think I was beginning to fall in love with him, which scared me. I was afraid to really let someone in like that for fear of losing them. Whether or not he felt the same way, he never showed any signs. He took good care of me, like a husband did his wife, or a brother took care of his sister. I knew all of the other girls my age in the village were married, but not I. But when have I ever conformed to society's rules?<em>

_I brought the porridge to the table. He liked the chicken porridge I made. He had the talent to gulp down an entire bowl in only a few minutes. It was the same story with a jug of mead. It was quite disgusting actually. I was constantly scolding him, telling him that he was going to die eventually. I told him that instead of mourning, I was going to say, "I told you so" over his dead body. He would just laugh whenever I brought it up and tell me not to worry._

_He got up from the table and told me that he wanted to take a walk outside for a while. He asked if I would like to come and I - too hastily - accepted. He smiled and then laughed as I quickly got up to leave. He opened the door for me, and when we got outside he gave me his arm to take._

_"May I have the honor, my lady?" My lady? As if! I made a face at him as I took his offered arm, but of course he just laughed it off. We walked arm in arm through the village, and I knew everyone was staring at us. I was ashamed to find that a twinge of jealousy rose in me as I saw him wink at a very pretty girl. She just rolled her eyes but couldn't help blushing. We walked all the way to the forest edge, him grinning like an idiot the whole time. It wasn't a particularly nice day to take a walk. It was very chilly, and the dark clouds promised heavy rain._

_We walked in silence for a very long time. My face was hurting from smiling so much. I rubbed my cheek and he laughed at my attempt to ease the smarting. We passed by a black and purple Auricula flower. He plucked it out of the ground and placed it behind my ear. I smiled a very girlish smile (to my displeasure), and I think I blushed because I felt the rush of blood to my cheeks. For the first time, I was close enough to him that when I looked into his eyes, I could see my reflection. He cleared his throat and moved away from me. We walked side by side for a few yards. As we walked, a small yellow butterfly flew past, and I smiled._

_Suddenly, we heard a rustle from within the forest. At first I thought it might just be a small animal, but then the rustling happened again, and this time we saw not one but two pairs of eyes looking back at us. And they looked like human eyes. The boy and I stopped, looked at each other, and then ran as two huge men wearing bounty hunter belts full of weapons jumped out at us. The boy took my hand and we ran back to the village. It was midday, which was when the market was at its busiest. We ran through the market stalls, hurtling through crates of vegetables and chickens. I could hear the men behind us causing mayhem and probably destroying everything in their path. Though I suppose we were doing the same, now that I think about it. We turned a corner; there was a cluster of homes right next to each other. We ran behind a house and flattened ourselves to the wall, waiting to hear if they had left. Their pounding footsteps weren't hard to miss. They didn't walk, but they stopped, and we heard them, so close to us. I could see we were both holding our breath. When the footsteps died down, we both heaved a sigh of relief._

_"Let's go back home, we'll be safe there," I said. He just looked at me with concern and dragged me back to the house. As soon as we walked through the door, he let go of my hand - which he had been holding on to the whole time - like it was a live coal. He frantically looked through all of the cabinets until he found a small leather bag. I just stood there numbly as I watched him panic. "What is going on?"_

_"I don't have time to explain, but I have to leave."_

_"Leave?" This was unthinkable. "Where to?"_

_"Anywhere but here," he replied firmly._

_"But why?" I looked at him with pleading eyes as he stopped panicking for a moment._

_"I have to protect you from those men. If they find out that I'm here with you, they'll kill you along with me."_

_"But you can't leave!" I cried. I didn't even stop to wonder about why the men were after him; all I knew was that I couldn't stand the thought of him leaving. He walked to me and pulled off a necklace from around his neck. It was made out of twine. At the end was a dark, round, crystal-like stone. A thin thread was wrapped around it. On the thread were two small green and black crystals. Inside was a shimmering golden leaf._

_"This was my mother's," he said quietly. "Wear this and it will remind you of me wherever you go."_

_"Please don't go," I begged one more time, hating the pleading note in my voice._

_"I will try to lead them off towards the mountains. Once I see that they are nowhere near this village, I will come back for you, and if I don't then we will meet again. I promise." He kissed my hand and flew out the door._

_Suddenly, out of nowhere my memory dissolved into the image of a very beautiful girl. She had dark hair and porcelain skin. Her lips were a deep red color, the color of apples in autumn. She wore a black and gold huntress' dress, and a golden circlet to complete the look. Her eyes were a golden color that seemed to glow. She mumbled words in a language very foreign to me. They sounded like words of magic._

_"Hale!" My name echoed as she chanted it over and over again. Then I saw nothing._

* * *

><p>I sat up so suddenly that I nearly gave myself whiplash. I pressed a hand to my heart, which was still pounding with the rhythm of the girl's chanting. I knew it was just a dream, but she felt so <em>real<em>, as if I had met her long ago. She knew my name too. How is that possible? Feeling stupid, I laid my head down on my knees and muttered, "It was just a dream. Dreams aren't real. Get over it and go back to sleep." Apparently, I was tired enough to talk to myself, but I decided to try and listen to my own advice. I lay there for a long time, tossing and turning and basically just trying to count sheep. It didn't work, so I finally got up and snuck out onto the castle grounds.

As I walked by the light of the full moon, I relished in the fact that I was the only person around (the guards don't count) and the grass beneath my bare feet felt so nice. I felt so free, but my happiness was weighed down by the memory I had relived in my dream, before the magic girl so rudely interrupted. Distantly, I could hear an owl calling to a friend, and I knew its prey would be scurrying into their warm burrows. I sighed. At least _their_ lives made sense, even if they didn't like it. This got me thinking about my fatherly situation all over again, and I groaned. Thinking about my messy, complicated life made my head hurt. My life had been close to perfect. Now everything was upside down and inside out. First there was the fire that claimed my father's life, then those bandits who made that boy flee and never return, now my new title as princess. Where had everything gone wrong?


	4. Chapter 4: A Change of Plans

**Chapter 4: A Change of Plans**

I decided to take a walk to the house that I had lived in before Hadrian came and took me in as his ward. Using the moonlight as my guide, I walked to the small house and opened the old door. It took a lot of force to finally get it open. It was neat and tidy, just as I had left it. I walked in and around the kitchen and dining room. All the rooms were connected, so the kitchen was also where I used to eat and sleep. The bathing room was in the back of the house, right behind my little room. I walked to my room and sat down on my small, creaking bed. On my bed, I had a small bear that my father had made me when I was four years old. I was twenty now, and everything had changed. I walked around my house again, taking in all the memories each object had.

I didn't want to become part of the royal family. As much as I cared about Rowan, Henry and the king, the whole thing was odd and awkward. I wasn't royal material. After mulling it over for a while, I made up my mind. During the celebrations, I would escape and run away. I would have to pack a few things like my clothes and a sword. I knew exactly where to hide them. I felt bad to leave so suddenly, but I knew this wasn't the life for me. I just hoped my plan would work.

* * *

><p>"Ow!" I yelped.<p>

It was the day of the celebrating-becoming-a-princess-not-my-coronation ceremony. And apparently none of my dresses were appropriate for the occasion so the king - er, my father - was having another made for me. That's why I was standing on a stool with my arms out like a scarecrow, being poked with pins and needles.

"Oh, do stop your complaining," Helwys snapped. "Most girls would kill to be in your position right now. And stop squirming, it makes this all the more difficult for me and it's the reason why you keep getting poked!"

Grumbling, I did as I was told. I was definitely less than excited about becoming princess of Actica. Princesses were expected to be prim and proper, and look down on pretty much everyone they came in contact with. They're supposed to be true ladies; they like to sew, shop, have expensive things, are well mannered and hate getting dirty. I was none of those things. Sewing usually ended in jabbing my finger and cursing, shopping usually resulted in me having plenty to read but nothing to eat, anything expensive I own would surely break, the king has already made it clear my manners are less than satisfactory, and getting dirty? How can you possibly do what needs to be done without getting at least a little dirty in the process?

My arms turned stiff after what seemed like hours of tailoring my dress, which was way too gaudy for my taste. After the last poke of a needle, Helwys told me that I could go off and do something that I would enjoy, because the next few hours would be hell for me. At least the woman was honest. I didn't wear the necklace the boy gave me; I was too scared of reliving that night again. It was still stored in my nightstand drawer. I took a walk around the castle grounds and breathed in the fresh air. I passed by a few guards, who bowed as I walked by. I didn't like that kind of attention, especially from them, who had always treated me like their own sister. I knew what I was. I was a woman, yes, but being a woman seemed so bland and boring compared to the life of a man. I was about to head down to the village to escape the chaos when I heard scurrying feet behind me. It was Helwys. Her face was red (probably from the running), and she was out of breath. She beckoned me to come back to my room, and I hesitantly agreed.

I bathed until I was squeaky clean (literally). I smelled so... pretty! How do you smell pretty? Once I stepped out, I saw the most beautiful dress ever made neatly laid out on my bed. It was white and scarlet, almost a maroon color. The bodice was decorated with some sort of triangular design, all made out of small white gems. The fabric was very elegant and the dress belled out at the bottom. I could see that my olive skin contrasted nicely with dress. With difficulty, I managed to wrestle myself into the dress. When I looked in the mirror, I was met with a horrid sight. I was beautiful. It's not that I wanted to be unattractive or make someone's eyes sore; it was just that this kind of beauty would attract too much unwanted attention. I tried to make my hair messy just so that I wasn't as unnaturally beautiful, but that just seemed to make me look even better. I finally gave up; it was pointless.

Before leaving, I took a peek out my window. I gasped and jolted backwards as a big monarch butterfly zoomed right past the window. I laughed in relief and walked out of my room and down the hall. I could hear all the voices in the dining hall echoing down the corridors. Right as I walked into the hall, it became completely silent as everyone turned to look at the new princess. I had been hoping that no one would notice me, but obviously that wasn't the case. My eyes almost dropped down to look at the floor, but I remembered a tip from one of my etiquette classes: when feeling shy, just lift your head higher so that no one can tell. I did just that. I walked down the aisle, and people parted for me. I _really_ didn't like this. As I walked through the sea of unfamiliar faces, I found one face that, unfortunately, I recognized. Something flashed in King Cenred's eyes as we made eye contact. It scared me, and I never get scared. I averted my eyes and focused instead on my father, who had a wide grin plastered on his face. He sat on his glorious golden throne, awaiting me. A tapestry behind him had the family crest on it. My two half-brothers were standing proud and tall next to him. Resting on a podium beside them was my crown. It was silver with very intricate, swirly designs, and an aquamarine jewel adorning the center. I walked all the way to where the king was standing. He rose and a young maid brought him the pillow with my crown. He held it in his hands.

"Kneel," he said in a booming voice that reverberated throughout the hall. I did as he asked. "Hale Bricius, of Actica, born of royal blood. Please rise." Didn't he just tell me to get on my knees? "I, your father and your king, hereby decree -" The big long doors at the entrance to hall flew open, and almost came off their hinges. The king's knights and guards drew their swords. I would have drawn my sword as well, but I was in this blasted dress. My father's eyes grew wide as he looked upon the intruder. His deep black hair was plastered to his face. The color of his skin was a sickly pale color. This was what the living dead would look like. His teeth were yellow and his stench wafted through the air, filling my nostrils. If I were a normal lady, I probably would have fainted, but I assure you I have smelt worse.

Suddenly, people in the crowd started to draw swords. Wow; those people came prepared to protect their kingdom! But then I saw that they were facing the king and I. Suddenly, all hell broke loose, instantly causing the hall to become a slaughterhouse. The celebration attendees were falling one by one, or more like twenty by twenty. Horrified, I turned to see a man advancing towards some woman who was cornered against a wall. I ran and my eyes rested on a fallen man's sword. Instinctively, I reached for it and blocked the man's blow. The woman let out a cry, and ran away into the crowd. What a dumb idea! I felt someone moving behind me, and swerved around so fast and with so much momentum that it caused the attacker to crash against a pillar and sink to the floor. I ran behind a pillar, far away from the battle. I had a strong feeling that I would need my casual wear. I took off my dress and tossed it off to the side. Underneath my dress was my white tunic and black leather bodice. I had my tights on. I took off my hideous shoes and found the place where I had hidden my boots earlier in the day when I took my walk. How did I know to do this? I was shocked by own preparedness. I turned around and was instantly slammed into a wall, but it wasn't the attacker from earlier. The stench gave the intruder away instantly. He laughed an evil laugh that sent chills down my spine. I looked up and I saw that he was eyeing me suspiciously.

"I wonder, how was my niece taught to fight like that?" he growled. This monster was my _uncle_? I just narrowed my eyes, and had my sword ready to fight. I was about to make a move, when with a wave of his hand my sword flew out of my grasp and landed with a loud clank about ten feet behind him. What trickery was this?

"You won't be needing that." He smirked. I gulped.

"What are you doing here? What do you want with me?" I asked nervously, but trying to hide it.

"Ah! Just the question I was hoping you would ask. I'm actually here to take your crown."

"You can have it!" I answered naively.

"Oh no, my dear girl. I don't think you understood what I meant. Let me see, how do I reword this... oh yes! I want to take your spot on the throne."

"But you can't! I am not an heir to throne unless my father and brothers are -" The look in his eyes made everything click together. I pushed him out of the way as I raced out into the hall. I hadn't registered the deathly silence that had come over the hall in light of my uncle's sudden appearance. To my despair, I saw every single one of my father's subjects dead on the ground. Some of my uncle's men had fallen, but not all of them. I saw my attacker at the other end of the hall rubbing his head and glaring at me. I looked at the throne and almost cried out as I saw my family dead. But then, I thought I saw my father's hand move. Praying it wasn't just the flickering candles, I ran over to him. His eyes fluttered open. I knew he was dying and he didn't want the intruder to know that he was still alive, so I pretended to be crying as I bent over him and placed my ear close to his face. I had a feeling he wanted to tell me something.

"Find the lady in white and she will make everything clear. She will have the answers for all the questions you've ever had. Be wary," he struggled to get the last few words out as he took his last breath, "my love." Now I had two dead fathers. Anger and hatred rose inside of me, and I charged at my uncle. I was going to give him a punch to the stomach, but he lazily waved his hand, causing me to fly back a few yards across the hall to where the attacker was. The attacker forced me on my feet, pulling me against him so that my back was on his chest and I could feel the chill emanating from the sword that was being held to my neck. He was surprisingly strong. My uncle walked casually to us and clucked. He smiled.

"You stupid girl, you thought you could beat us both." He was close to me now so I took the chance to spit in his face. He closed his eyes with disgust and wiped his face dramatically.

"You rascal! If I could, I would kill you right now!" he roared.

"Then why don't you?" I challenged. He huffed.

"Because the law forbids killing royalty who cannot get in the way of your plans!" he spat bitterly.

"Since when have criminals followed laws?" I demanded, stupefied. Was he insane? "And I've never even heard of -"

"Silence!" he rudely interrupted. I didn't like it when people did that to me. In a calmer tone, he began speaking to me again.

"I'm willing to strike a deal with you." I looked at him suspiciously. "If you leave the kingdom, go well beyond the forest, then I will not harm any more of your subjects. But if you stay," he continued in a darker tone. "I will obliterate every village and town, and like a criminal I will forget the law, and I _will_ kill you." I boiled with anger. I knew I couldn't trust him. I knew if I stayed, he would most likely keep his promise, but if I left he would do just the opposite and kill everyone. If I did leave though, I would be able to go get help from another kingdom. Only one other kingdom came to mind: Camelot.

I pondered my options for a moment, and then reluctantly said, "I accept. I will leave and never come back, on the condition you leave the people alone." He agreed, but he was a bad liar and I knew he wouldn't keep his word.

* * *

><p>His men watched me as I walked into the forest. They followed me for a few days, and as I got towards the middle of the forest I stopped seeing them. This was the most dangerous part of the kingdom. Stories of bandits, deadly creatures, the deaths and disappearances of innocent travelers took place here. I felt very empty now, and surprisingly lonely for the first time in my life. I was dizzy, and didn't even know where I was going. I walked for another few hours until I couldn't take it anymore. I sat down for a while and closed my eyes. Listening to the peaceful sounds of the forest, I felt a new energy fill me. I heard the birds singing, the leaves clattering together as a small breeze passed through, and then I heard -<p>

I jumped to my feet and followed the sound of a lively brook. I nearly cried when I saw the cool, clear water. I bolted towards it and sank to my knees on the edge. Not even bothering to use my hands to scoop out a good amount for myself, I just stuck my face in and gulped what felt like the whole stream. I drank until I was content, then I laid down. I closed my eyes instinctively and put my hand to where my necklace was around my neck. I had put it on while I was changing behind the pillar, having hidden it in my shoes. Comfort and a sense of serenity passed over me. I was exhausted, and I unexpectedly passed out.


	5. Chapter 5: The Meeting

**Chapter 5: The Meeting**

I was wakened by the sound of clashing swords. _Must be that dream._ I had a dream last night of the day my uncle took the throne. But as I regained consciousness, the clashing of metal upon metal only became louder. This time, I could hear men yelling and horses grunting and whinnying. I jerked upward as my eyes scanned my surroundings. Cautiously, I inched along towards the sounds that were echoing through the forest, trying to make as little noise as possible. I hid behind a clump of trees and listened closely, hoping to get a better idea of where the battle was taking place. I froze mid-step and my breath caught as I heard the snap of twigs behind me. I wheeled around and let the air out of my lungs; no one was behind me. My face crumpled in confusion. Then there was a crunching noise on my left; my eyes narrowed as I saw a short, pudgy bandit trying to run away with a bag of gold, glee evident on his face. As he neared me, I leaned my back against a tree, folded my arms across my chest, and whistled as I stuck my muddy shoe out, causing the bandit to face plant into the dirt. His bag of gold spilled out in front of him.

"What an idiot." I chuckled as I bent down and snatched his sword. I tossed it in the air, caught it with charisma and smiled. I ran the way the bandit came and peered from around a tree. I saw a mess of bodies on the ground, and a good amount still fighting. I knew that the idiotic bandit was a part of the rugged guys fighting over there, but whom were they fighting against? Most of the bandit-looking men were bald or wore worn out clothing. They looked like they were from Cenred's kingdom. There were only about ten of them. Their opponents wore, for the most part, armor, except for one black-haired young man who wore the garments of a servant. They had finely groomed horses, and the weapons of royalty. Well, whoever they were, they were losing. I decided to crash in and show the royals how it was done. And me, not really liking bandits, decided to help the other guys out. Smiling, I ran head on into the fight, getting right in front of a bandit who was aiming to kill the servant in red. He looked shocked for a second, then fumed at the fact that I had just cut him off.

"Boo!" I said, and stabbed him right in the gut. The last expression on his face wasn't that of pain, but of surprise, as a woman brought him to his demise. I laughed as we fought, cutting down one bandit at a time. The servant in red was once again in trouble as three more came running at him. I tripped one and sent him tumbling into the other two. The servant looked shocked as the two bandits collapsed right in front of him. "You're welcome!" I winked and ran off to see if anyone else needed saving. I caught sight of one bandit that was running straight towards the back of one of the knights, ready to kill him. I ran straight for him with my sword held out, and watched as his eyes opened wide in surprise. His mouth dropped and his body thudded to the floor. I ran and easily sliced through the crowd of men who were all heading for me. Silly men; they never would expect a woman to be equal to, or in my case, better than them! I saw a small dagger on the ground, picked it up and twirled it in my hands, then threw it as I saw one last bandit running away from the scene. I saw it spinning in the air in slow motion, but I knew it him instantaneously and he collapsed on the ground. I breathed deeply and grinned in satisfaction.

Turning, I sheathed my sword and looked up to a very funny sight. Nine men were standing around me silently staring in awe. _Great! More attention._ I knew it wasn't common for a woman to fight, but it wasn't _that_ unusual... was it? One man dropped his sword and gaped. Okay, it really wasn't that amazing.

"Wow! You are as beautiful as they say you are!" Really? That's all you have to say? And how did that man know who I was? The man was tall, with long brown hair. He had a stubbly beard and was just a bit browned by the sun. He looked very intently at me; it was kind of strange, but I ignored it and instead turned to look at the tall, well-built blond (apparently the leader) standing in front of me. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was just my luck that I had saved _Prince Arthur of Camelot_ from a gang of bandits.

"D-did you just do that?" Prince Arthur stuttered.

A bandit next to me who I'd thought was dead croaked and smiled a toothless grin. He clucked his tongue and whistled. "What a rare beauty, ain't she?" He laughed and I hit him with the pommel of my sword, sending him back into unconsciousness.

"Well," the prince began. "It seems we owe you our lives, miss...?"

"Hale, sire," I said, still shocked at what was happening. Then I remembered my place and hurriedly bowed to the prince. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed one of the men stiffen as I announced my name, and I whipped around to glare at him. "It's not _that_ unusual!"

"Of course not, It's just that..." the man stuttered. "You're King Hadrian's daughter. The entire kingdom has been talking about you for a while now." He bowed to me as he said, "Princess of Actica." All of the knights' eyes widened and they quickly bowed too. I could feel myself blushing. This was exactly the kind of attention I had been dreading. Prince Arthur took my hand in his as he kneeled down and kissed it. Weird. I thought Actica and Camelot were at odds. I bowed my head slightly (only in reverence though, I swear). His fighting skills were legendary throughout the land. He rose to his feet and smiled.

"So, what is a princess roaming around alone in the woods for? You looking for prince charming?" I laughed, but then my face quickly turned grim as I remembered why I had even set out in the first place.

"Actica is under attack." Arthur's smile instantly disappeared, and everyone looked very somber. "My... my uncle came to the celebrations, and he and his men killed my brothers and father."

"Your uncle? Who may this be?"

"I don't know his name, but we need the help of Camelot," I said. Then the skinny servant from before came up to me. He had pale skin and piercing blue eyes. His clothes were slightly tattered. He wore a red scarf, a blue long sleeved shirt and a brown overcoat. He was very funny looking, but very sweet at the same time.

"Arthur."

Arthur flashed him an annoyed look. "Sire," Merlin corrected himself. "We should address this to your father. If I am correct, I believe that, uh, her uncle is a very powerful sorcerer who was locked away years ago somewhere in a cave far away so that he could never find civilization again, and I believe he is very dangerous." He said all of that last part in one breath. He seemed a little nervous while saying it. No surprise there, I guess. Arthur's father had banned magic, and to a certain extent talk of magic. Arthur raised his eyebrows, clearly impressed that a man could get all of those words out so fast in one breath.

"You bring up a good point, Merlin." He patted Merlin on the head like a dog. Merlin just squinted his eyes in disgust, but clearly was amused at the same time for some reason. It was like he was laughing at an inside joke. Arthur walked towards his horse and jumped on in one fluid motion.

"Well, come on then!" Merlin scurried to his horse, as did the rest of Arthur's men. I looked around, a little lost for I didn't have a horse. Arthur saw this, and looked around at his men. Eventually he found what he wanted and pointed to the man who commented on my (apparent) beauty earlier and said, "Gwaine. Let her ride with you." Turning to me he said, "You didn't honestly believe we expected you to walk, did you?" Gwaine offered his hand to me, but I didn't need it to jump on. He shrugged, and our horses trotted all the way back to Camelot.

* * *

><p>Traveling to Camelot was very uncomfortable. I spent the whole time pressed against the back of a strange man. Then all of my discomfort disappeared as we rode into the countryside. It was very beautiful. In Actica, there were many craggy rocks since we were up in the mountains. Here, there was hardly a rock in sight. The warm summer breeze gently wafted my hair around my face, and it felt so good under the sweltering sun. As we rode on, Gwaine decided to do something very dangerous; he bent down and picked up a daisy we passed by. He turned around, smiled at me and gently gave me the flower. One of the knights behind us yelled, "Oi! Are you trying to woo the princess, Gwaine?" I glared at him, and then upon turning around I realized that our stupid horse was walking the wrong way. I yelped as I took the reins and pulled it back on course. Gwaine looked embarrassed and didn't pull another stunt again. I just chuckled to myself as we rode on towards the castle. When we arrived at the front of the castle, we dismounted. This time, Gwaine didn't even bother to help me down. A pretty servant girl came running from the castle and hugged Arthur.<p>

"Thank goodness you made it back safely!" she exclaimed. To my surprise, Arthur hugged her back tightly. I raised an eyebrow at this odd couple.

"He's not your average prince," a voice murmured in my ear. I turned around to find Gwaine standing there, eyeing the couple as well. "Arthur is wiser and kinder than most of them... although he normally doesn't show it." I smiled respectfully, but didn't find his humor very funny at the moment, as it seemed like everyone forgot why I was here. Well, not everyone. Merlin, Prince Arthur's manservant I had learned, cleared his throat loud enough to get everyone's attention. Arthur looked at Merlin like he was ludicrous. Merlin just swallowed and scratched the back of his head as he said, "I believe we have a princess that requested the king's audience?" He said it more like a question than a statement. Realization dawned on Arthur's face, and he said, "Of course," and led me into the castle, everyone trailing behind him.

As we walked through a corridor on the lower level of the castle, we passed by a door. The door opened and there stood an old man with wispy white hair. His face was slightly pinkish in color and he had many wrinkles. All the same, he seemed like a wise old man. I don't know why, but the aura around him felt very... serene. He grabbed Merlin (who was caught by surprise), and pulled him into the room without so much as a hello. _Weird old man_, I thought. We finally entered the great hall, and I saw the king sitting on his throne, deep in thought. He had short gray hair and blue eyes like his son. He seemed very charming, and I could tell that in his youth he must have been a real ladies' man. For all of his good qualities however, I felt that he was very arrogant, which he was. Uther was notorious in Actica for his arrogance and ignorance. He looked very tired, and a lot older than he really was. It was probably because of the recent attacks on Camelot. His ward/daughter, Morgana, had been corrupted by magic, so she tried to claim the throne for herself, but failed in the process. She had been an ally of Cenred, the bloodthirsty king Hadrian had invited to my coronation. He had a bad reputation of being corrupted, and wanted very badly to get rid of King Uther, so I knew that she had completely crossed over to the dark side.

It was kind of sad actually; I'd heard Morgana was a very nice girl before, strong willed and determine to stand up for what she believed in. I knew the king would be very glad to help me out. I told him my story, and of how I had saved Arthur and his knights. He suddenly became interested when I mentioned that part. After hearing my tragic story, he stayed silent for a very long time. He finally looked at me and spoke the saddest words I had ever heard.

"I'm truly sorry, but we cannot help." My face fell and my heart dropped. How could this be? I thought the king was against any use of magic? "That isn't my kingdom and I can't get involved. If I do, it will become a war, and Camelot cannot afford that."

Arthur interjected, "But father!"

"No Arthur! This is something we mustn't meddle in." He looked very worn out again, as he turned back to me. "Because you saved my son, you may stay here as long as you need to." I bowed.

"Thank you sire, I truly -"

"Only on one condition." Wow, everyone just _loves_ to interrupt me! "You can only stay here as long as you abide by the laws of Camelot, and a law of Camelot is that anyone found guilty of using magic, or associating themselves with anything _magical_," He spat that word out like it was a rotten apple in his mouth. "They will be condemned to death." I drew in a sharp breath.

"I promise to stay loyal to you and your laws, your highness," I reassured him. With that happy thought in mind, he dismissed me. I bowed, and then was escorted out by the servant girl that hugged Arthur earlier. She showed me to a good-sized bedroom. There was a four-poster bed like mine back home and a dresser with a vanity mirror attached. There was very beautiful foreign rug right in front of the bed.

"I hope you don't mind, my lady," the maid said to me in a soft voice. "This room belonged to my former mistress, the lady Morgana." I shivered at the sound of that name. There were many stories about her. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me. My name is Guinevere, by the way." She smiled very sweetly and walked to the door. Right as she was leaving, Merlin rushed into the room and barely missed knocking her over. She stumbled back, muttered a hello and quickly left. Merlin watched as she left, then turned to me and smiled brightly. This boy was very funny! He didn't even have to say anything.

"Yes, Merlin, what can I do for you?" I asked politely.

"Actually it's more like what _I_ can do for _you_," he replied. "Arthur's instructed me to take care of you along with Gwen. He doesn't want you to think that Camelot has no sense of hospitality."

I laughed and said, "No, no you've been very kind."

"Actually, I think he just really wanted to get rid of me, but all the same, since I'm here is there anything I can get you? My lady?" he added hurriedly.

"Well, first of all I do have a name; enough with the my lord, my lady nonsense!" Merlin was about to reply when there was a shout of, "MERLIN!" from down the corridor. He rolled his eyes, and I swear he muttered something like, "Dollop head," under his breath before bowing to me and exiting the room. What is a dollop head anyway? I reminded myself to ask him later.

All of a sudden, the events of the past few days caught up with me, and I swayed with vertigo. I looked out the window and saw it was starting to get dark. I was so tired I decided to skip dinner (which probably wasn't a good idea on my first night in the stronghold of Camelot) and just go to sleep. I was reaching for my nightgown when I remembered I hadn't had any time to pack, so I just shrugged and collapsed on the bed. Within minutes I was asleep.


	6. Chapter 6: All Magic is Bad

**Chapter 6: All Magic Is Bad**

_I saw the dark haired girl again, except this time she was joined by another woman. The other woman had golden blond hair that was braided and messily thrown into a bun. For some reason, I got the feeling that I was seeing something that had happened long ago. The voices of the two women chanting my name still rang in my head. This time though, I could understand what they were saying, and I was positive that it was magic. They both had their eyes shut with their hands connected, looking deep in concentration. Their connected arms raised as the chanting grew louder, making it easier for me to comprehend their words. The speed of their voices increased as I strained my ears to hear the words._

_"_Obrinde, cume mec_, Hale," was being repeated slightly louder each time it was said, when suddenly a ball of light appeared in front of them, making a soft tinkling noise and slowly faded deep into the wood. The two women's hands dropped to their sides as they opened their eyes and smiled in satisfaction._

* * *

><p>I abruptly jolted awake. My heart pounded as I put my palm to my forehead, which was drenched in sweat. Who were those women? What do they want with me? I slid out of bed and heard my footsteps echoing against the stone floor as I stumbled over to the window, looking out on Camelot. I leaned my head against it, instantly content with the cold glass against my face. I tried to get the dream out of my head, but every time I closed my eyes even slightly, I could see their smiles, mocking me.<p>

I felt my hand travel to my necklace as I sighed, fogging up the glass. My eyes scanned the view, trying to see if there was anything suspicious. When nothing was found, I did my best to convince myself that I was overreacting. It was just a dream, but it felt so _real_. I heard a knock at my door, and quickly went to answer it. Whoever it was, they were extremely impatient because they just walked in themselves before I even reached the door. Once they stepped into the moonlight, I realized it was Gwaine. Oh great. I really didn't need his overenthusiastic flattery right now.

"My lady." He bowed as he reached me. He did this all in a very comical way as I tried my best not to scoff.

"Hello, Gwaine," I responded as nicely as I could. "May I help you?"

"I just wanted to come and see how the Princess of Actica was getting used to Camelot." He smiled. I rolled my eyes, but laughed. His charm was fatally attractive, but a little annoying at the same time.

"I suppose it's nothing like home, is it?" I looked out the window.

"No, it's more beautiful than Actica. All you see there is miles and miles of rock. You will only appreciate its beauty if you are a rock lover, which I am not." He laughed. Why did he laugh? It wasn't that funny, was it? We stood there awkwardly for a moment, and then he started to speak again.

"You know, Hale, tonight we are having a special feast in your honor for saving m- us. Prince Arthur especially is eager to thank you. It would be an honor if I could escort -" Our conversation was interrupted by a bumbling Merlin holding a stack of papers, probably for Arthur. He was still bumbling along when he got to my room. When he glanced up and saw us he stopped, and a huge grin spread across his face.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" He raised his eyebrows as his grin widened. "Would you... do you want me to go outside and wait while you two -"

"Shut up, Merlin!" Gwaine cried, blushing. Snatching a pillow from my bed, he threw it at Merlin. The pillow lightly hit the servant, but still he rubbed his head as if it hurt him. He laughed.

"Go on and say what you want to say, Merlin." Merlin was still laughing but abruptly stopped.

"Oh! Yes, uh, King Uther wants me to inform you that for the feast tonight you must choose an escort to go with. He would prefer if you went with Arthur, but I'll go break the bad news to Arthur and tell him you're taken!" Before either of us could respond to that, Merlin ran out impishly. We laughed then turned back to each other.

"So, will you accept my offer?" I smiled kindly and accepted. He said that he would be back in an hour, and told me to dress very nicely. Well, he didn't exactly put it in those terms, but I know it's what he meant. We sat there for a while in awkward silence, neither of us knowing exactly to do. Then Gwen glided in gracefully with a dress, shooing Gwaine out as she did so. I can't say I was ecstatic to see it, but I wasn't as hesitant as before to put it on. It was a white gown and corset with a peach embroidered inset. It was straight cut and felt very loose and graceful, if that's possible. The material was thin and I was glad that there were three layers of dress. There were dark gold floral designs down the middle of the corset, contrasting with the peach. The same design was also on the thin straps that drooped off my shoulders. I was about to leave when Gwen stopped me.

"You're not going to leave with your hair looking like that, are you?" I took that offensively, but sat down as Gwen worked her magic - metaphorically of course. My curly dark brown hair was up in a sweeping hairstyle and pinned in a loose bun, leaving a few strands dangling on the sides. My dark skin glowed in the moonlight, and I couldn't help but notice my beauty. The beauty I had ignored for so many years, but I knew concentrating on that was dangerous. The greatest beauty always came with a price. I stood up right when Gwaine walked in wearing a fresh white tunic and black leather overcoat. He looked very handsome, but I didn't do what he did when he saw me. When he walked in and saw me, he just stood there in shock. It looked as if the wind had been knocked out of him. Gwen stood next to me and smiled.

"I'll, um, leave you two now." She left with an amused grin on her face.

"Wow," Gwaine said.

"That's all you seem to say about me, isn't it?" I teased as he blushed and chuckled.

"What is it about me that's so... _wow_ to you anyways?" I laughed at the last part.

"Well," he grabbed my arm and twirled me so that I faced the mirror. "Just look there and you'll see why."

I stared at my reflection, and tried not to blush. His hands on my arms left a tingling sensation as he let go. He gave me his arm to take with a cheeky grin. "Now. May I have the honor, my lady?"

"What?" Those words rang in my head.

"Come on, let's go now, we don't have all night." Shaking my head, I took his arm and we walked out.

The Great Hall was similar to the one at home, but there were more intricate designs on the walls. There were majestic columns going down throughout the hall and tall wooden windows in between them. There was a long table in the center of the room, much longer than the one in Actica. At the head of the table was the king's gold and red throne. The hall's ceiling was arched, and there were windows there as well. It was very crowded, but I could spot Merlin talking to that old man from before. Gwen was by herself, watching Arthur intently, who was talking to his father and some knights. I walked in on the arm of Sir Gwaine, and felt extremely self-conscious as people began to stare. A very good-looking knight with short, bouncy brown hair met us towards the middle of the hall. He was starting to grow a beard, as well as most of the knights. His kind brown eyes glowed.

"Sir Lancelot!" Gwaine smiled as his friend approached. "This is the Princess Hale!"

"Oh!" He bowed and took my hand in his, but he didn't kiss it like everyone else did. For that I was grateful. Lancelot smiled. Merlin, who was wearing his big, idiotic smile from earlier in the evening, soon joined us.

"So. You escorted her," Merlin said, still smiling.

"Of course he did, you idiot." Arthur came, slapping Merlin on the back of his head.

"Ow," Merlin muttered, and rubbed his head. I was beginning to wonder about how Arthur treated Merlin, and if Merlin was alright with it. I got my answer a few seconds later in the form of Merlin's whispered, "Clotpole." I raised an eyebrow, and Merlin saw me looking at him. He looked guilty, but I just smiled.

"My father wants you at his side, right there at the front with us. I'll take it from here," Arthur announced. He said this teasingly to Gwaine, who didn't look too pleased. I sat between Arthur and the king at the table, who greeted me very warmly. He looked better than earlier today, and there was a sparkle in his eyes. Everyone slowly situated themselves in a chair and the loud chatter died down to a low buzz. When the king rose from his seat, everyone's attention turned towards Uther Pendragon.

"Welcome everyone! Today is a grand day. We are here to welcome Princess Hale of Actica to Camelot." That word "princess" was bothering me. I hadn't actually been crowned princess. "She saved my son and your knights from attackers after a treacherous battle in her own home. Her father and brothers were killed by none other than her uncle, Cairon Eveas, and our own enemy," he hissed. Now I knew the name of the monster that murdered my second family. There were a few gasps from the audience, but everyone looked at Uther, waiting for him to continue. "She was lucky to escape alive, but she did, and she knew that by coming here she would be safe from her uncle." That's not what happened at all. "Her uncle is a dark sorcerer who uses magic selfishly and dangerously. He was hidden away in the northern mountains in a cave where no one could ever get to him, and where he could never escape. But he did so. This proves, once again, that all magic is bad and dangerous." I felt something shift in the air. It suddenly felt very uncomfortable. "We cannot go out and fight," he turned and addressed me, "but we can make sure you are not in any danger. Camelot is heavily guarded, and no intruder will be able to penetrate these walls without my knowing." Arthur stood up.

"We," he pointed to the knights and himself, "all owe you our lives." With that, Uther raised his goblet and bellowed, "To Princess Hale!" The crowd repeated after him, "To Camelot! And to the end of magic!" Everyone erupted in a cheer. Uther smiled at me and sat back down, as did the rest of the knights and I. The servants came in with piles of glorious food. It wasn't until seeing the food that I realized how hungry I was. Looking back, I saw that I hadn't eaten in hours, maybe even over a day. As the last of the feast was being placed on the table, everyone turned towards Uther to wait for him to begin. He smiled, raised his goblet and announced, "Let the feast commence, my friends!" With that, everyone (politely) dug in. It took all my concentration to eat swiftly but politely; I remembered my father's comments on my table manners, or lack thereof. Thinking of his criticism sent a flash of pain through my heart, as the full realization of his death hit me. Suddenly, I wasn't as hungry anymore. Unfortunately for me, Arthur noticed my sudden lack of appetite.

"What's wrong, princess?" he asked, concerned. "Is the food not to your liking?"

"Huh?" I said, pulled from my memories. "What? Oh, no the food is delicious, thank you."

"Are you sure? Hey, are you all right? You don't look well." Great. The prince thinks I'm "not well", whatever that means. Gwaine heard that and looked up too, so now I had two people concerned about me.

"I'm fine. Really," I assured Arthur (and to an extent Gwaine, who was trying to pretend he wasn't listening, but I could see the worry on his face).

"Hmm. Well, if you say so. You're probably just exhausted from the events of the day. Am I right?" Arthur said.

"Uh... yeah that's it. I'm just tired," I replied, relieved that he had provided me with an answer. I could tell Gwaine wasn't fooled though. Now he was studying me, as if trying to pull the answer out of me. What is _with_ this guy? All day he's practically been following me around!

"Well, now that I think about it, there is something wrong." Arthur and the king looked up as they chewed and listened intently. "The problem is that you keep calling me princess."

"That's because -"

"I hadn't been crowned princess yet when my uncle came and attacked." Uther abruptly stopped eating. "What! Why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't know how and when to tell you, your highness. I hadn't been able to finish everything I was saying this morning." He continued eating, with a distant look on his face. "Well, we will still protect you as much as we can. We are celebrating your life; let's not eat with dampened spirits. Eat my child, I know you must be hungry." _Wow_, I thought. I served myself some more of the bird, and I forced myself to eat it all.

Music followed the feast - or as I privately referred to it, "the cleaning out of the pantry". There was a minstrel singing about a lost lover, and then an aria sung by the Lady Florence. This song was about a woman's lover going to battle, and how she'll do anything for him so that he would get back safely. It was very touching and was met with a round of applause from the audience; even the king seemed very impressed. She curtsied and exited. After a long night of celebrations, I excused myself to go and rest. As I was about to leave, Gwaine stopped me.

"You're leaving at the best part of the night?" I narrowed my eyes.

"And what is that?"

"The dance!" Oh, a dance! I knew he would ask me to dance with him. I was very annoyed by his almost stalker-like behavior at the moment, so I looked around for anyone else. To my relief Merlin came up to us right as Gwaine was about to ask.

"Oh Merlin! Would you care to dance?" Merlin raised his eyebrows and looked at Gwaine, who looked a little hurt.

" I - I don't think uh -"

"Nonsense! Come on now, I'm sure no one will mind." Merlin looked a little scared as we walked - well, I dragged him - to the middle of the hall, where couples stood side by side to dance. I never learned how to dance, but I guess I would learn now.

We all stood in two rows. The men were on one side and the women were on the other. I looked down and saw how long the line was. It was quite shocking. I looked down the men's line as well, and I spotted Gwaine. He was standing across from a very pretty blond girl with her golden hair done up in a very long braid that went down to her knees. She had pink lips, and I have to say I felt a little jealous. When I looked back at Merlin I tried not to laugh; he was a funny sight.

His eyes darted around the room as if he wasn't sure where he should look as he shifted uncomfortably. His eyes rested on my face as he saw me watching him and his goofy grin appeared on his face. The music started at a moderate beat. Everyone walked forward to their partners, one arm raised so their hand was up to their shoulder. Merlin and I clumsily followed each step, not looking at each other but at the other partners. Once everyone was close enough so their raised hands were touching, they switched sides so the women were where the men were and vice versa. Everyone took four steps then bowed. They repeated this a few times. After about one minute of doing this, the beat changed and so did the dance. It was faster and soon four couples were standing together, everyone making small squares throughout the hall. The dance continued, and as everyone went through the movements flawlessly, Merlin and I were helplessly blundering around the hall, laughing lightheartedly as we tried to keep up with everyone else but hopelessly failing. The song soon ended and by then both Merlin and I were in tears, silently laughing as we clapped along with the rest of the guests. I felt eyes on me as I wiped my eyes and looked around to see Gwaine looking at me curiously. I smiled and looked away from him and back at Merlin who was looking at me with his eyebrows moving up and down teasingly. I rolled my eyes at him and shifted my attention somewhere else, trying to ignore Merlin, who was currently humming dreamily into my ear and just generally being annoying.

"So, why didn't you want to dance with Sir Shiny-Locks-And-Muscles over there?" Merlin asked as he nodded his head towards where Gwaine was standing looking at his feet. I shrugged.

"I don't know. He just seems to be everywhere I am, and I wanted a little break from his attention," I answered honestly. He smiled teasingly.

"I think he liiiiikes yoooou!" he said in a singsong voice. I just whacked the back of his head like Arthur always does and said in a deep voice, "MERLIN!" We laughed at my pathetic imitation.

"Dollop head," he muttered, smiling.

"What does that even mean?" I asked curiously. He just shrugged.

"In two words?"

"Sure, I guess," I said. He smiled mischievously.

"Prince Arthur," he answered in such a matter-of-fact tone that I started to laugh and clutch my stomach as I gasped for air. I could hear someone walk up behind us, so I tried to gain control of my hysterics.

"Merlin, you idiot, what on earth did you do to Princess Hale?" Arthur asked jokingly as he saw me. I looked up at Arthur and Merlin's face behind his back and hiccupped before I lost composure and started laughing once more. Arthur looked at Merlin questioningly, who was looking at me while trying his hardest not to laugh. I looked up at Arthur and Merlin as I tried to catch my breath. I finally was able to put on a semi-straight face until Merlin, whose face was red from trying to stay calm, broke down and started laughing, sending me into a fit of giggles as well. Darn this boy. By now, Arthur had joined in laughing at how ridiculous we were being. I could feel everyone's eyes on all three of us, but I didn't care about them. The evening ended soon after we managed to gain control over ourselves, and King Uther said something about how glad he was that Prince Arthur and I were getting along so well. Something about him made me feel uneasy. I ignored the feeling and headed back to my room, changing out of my uncomfortable outfit. As I laid on my bed, I prepared myself for another restless night.


	7. Chapter 7: The Recurring Dreams

**Chapter 7: The Recurring Dreams**

_The forest echoed with the crunching of the tree leaves underneath her feet as she walked with careful footsteps. Her ragged breath cut through the cold air as she heard her name being called out from behind her. She couldn't let them find her; they couldn't know. Her footsteps increased as her eyes frantically searched for a way out. The wind blew and the branches whined in protest. She had nowhere left to go; no one can know, no one can see. Her hair whipped through the air as she heard her name again, louder this time. She panted as she ran; she could feel the tears racing down her face as she collapsed into the dirt, defeated. She lay face down and breathed deeply. She felt a hand on her shoulder; her name was said once more. Her breath caught and her heart raced. It was over._

* * *

><p>I tried to muffle my scream with my hands while I jolted upright in my bed. My breathing slowly regained its normal speed. I sighed as I looked around my dark room, and saw a pair of eyes looking at me with worry. It was Gwen. I closed my eyes and fell back against the pillows. She was asking me a series of questions, but I wasn't paying attention. I still hadn't gotten over my dream. I could feel my heart slowing down, but the fear still lingered. Gwen got a damp cloth and put it on my forehead.<p>

"My lady, are you okay?"

I was still gasping for air. "Yes. Yes I am. Just a bad dream, that's all." As I was starting to fall back asleep, I heard the pounding of feet in my room. I heard the voices of Merlin and someone else that I didn't recognize. A shaky hand touched my forehead, and my eyes shot open. It was the older man that was with Merlin earlier.

"Hale," Merlin said worriedly as he got closer. "Are you okay? We could hear you screaming from our room!" I didn't answer his question, but looked at the old man. Was he Merlin's grandfather?

"Who are you?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"I am Gaius, the court physician. Lay down." He slowly coaxed me to put my head back down. "Now, you say you had a bad dream?" I nodded my head. "Would you care to tell us what it was about?" He was careful with his words when he addressed me; as if I cared how much respect he gave me when we talked. I tried to remember exactly what happened, but couldn't remember the details.

"I was running from them. I was very scared. They were about to -"

"Who are _they_?"

I shook my head. "I don't know."

"How long have you been having these dreams?"

"It only started a few months ago. Around the lunar eclipse, I believe." Gaius' eyes rose in recognition, as if he just remembered a secret. He nodded as I went on. "But every night they've been calling my name. Asking me to come with them. I don't know where, but don't worry about me. It's still quite early in the morning and you should get your rest. It was just a bad dream, that's all." Gaius sighed and went to leave. Before he left the room, he turned around and looked at me with concern.

"I will make a potion for you, and it will help you sleep better at night. If you have another one of these dreams again, you'll leave me no choice but to give it to you." He left, leaving just Gwen, Merlin, and I alone in the room. Gwen stroked my head and whispered that everything was going to be all right.

"For heaven's sake! I'm not dying here, people! You know that right?"

Gwen was startled. "I'm sorry. It's just that, my last mistress, the Lady Morgana, had these kinds of dreams. And, well, you know what happened."

I sighed. "Well, it's not like that."

"But what if it is?" Merlin interjected.

"And what makes you think so?" He shrugged. I knew he was hiding something, but I didn't know what.

"We know you were hiding something from Gaius," Gwen said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I know you left some details out about your dream," Merlin replied. It was like they were cornering me. Goodness, I really couldn't hide anything from him! I decided to tell them. It wouldn't really matter, would it? It was just a dream right? Before I told them about my most recent dream, I went on to tell them about the first dream I had that triggered these series of visions. I told them the vision I had of my father, and before I became princess. I told them about the boy, and my necklace, and the butterfly. Then I told them about the dream I had about that dark-haired lady, chanting a spell and calling out my name. Merlin shifted uncomfortably when I told them that part.

"Then earlier today, before the feast I fell asleep, and this time that lady wasn't alone. There was another woman with her. They were in the forest, and they had their eyes closed, chanting something. I think it was something like, '_Obrinde, cume mec_', then they said my name." Merlin froze this time and he turned a little pale. Now I _knew_ he was hiding something. But I continued anyways.

"A glowing ball of light then drifted off into the forest. The two women looked satisfied, as if they had completed their task. Merlin, do you know what that might mean?"

"Uh, no! I mean, I'm just a servant here how could I know anything? The idea, ha!" He said that a little too quickly and a little too loudly. Gwen and I exchanged looks, as Merlin stuttered some more and left the room.

"If you need anything my lady, I'll be right here."

"Gwen, just call me Hale. It's okay. I'm your friend, not your queen." Gwen smiled appreciatively. "Go on, I'll be fine. You look tired; you should get some rest." Gwen bowed on her way out, and closed the door. I rested my head against the pillow, and pondered about the last few weeks. Instinctively, my hand rubbed my necklace. I had left the blue and gold necklace King Hadrian had given me behind. I felt guilty about that, but it wouldn't bring back memories like this one did. Well, at least not good ones.

* * *

><p>I felt very calm as the sun started to rise. How different my life would be if the king never died. As I continued to stroke the necklace, I started to think about my father, the blacksmith. As much as I tried to convince myself otherwise, I really did miss him. He was more than my father; he was my friend. The only friend I had growing up. If he hadn't died, would Hadrian still have told me who I really was? Then I remembered Hadrian's dying words. I need to find the lady in white to get the answers I sought. Who was my real father? I felt deep down in my heart that Hadrian wasn't telling the truth, but at the same time, I knew he was being honest when he said that the blacksmith wasn't my real father. So who was? What about my mother? It was all so confusing. As much as I tried, I was finding it hard to accept everything and not panic over the fact that my father was a king and my mother was a servant. It just didn't add up. I felt even more lost than before. And if I were to find the lady in white, would she tell me the truth? And what about the boy? If he had never left, or if I had followed him, maybe none of this would have happened. I missed that boy, but ever since I stepped foot in Camelot, I had felt even closer to him than I did before. I knew he was still out there, he was still alive and thinking of me. Maybe he was even here, in Camelot.<p>

I got out of bed and looked out at the window, something I found myself doing often. It helped to ease my pain, looking out at beauty. I could see far away people working in fields, and people in the streets starting to get ready for the day. Two sparrows flew in front of my window in a dance. They were twirling in unison and singing all the while. Then they flew off towards the villages. As they disappeared from sight, I got dressed in my usual tunic and pants. I decided that I would explore the castle today. I would try to avoid wherever they were having combat training; I knew it would be too hard for me to resist joining in. I would go see the armory, the gardens, and maybe even the library. In Actica, I was the only woman who knew how to read. I insisted on learning so that I wasn't one of those mindless women who just did everything their husbands told them to. I really liked it here in Camelot. I felt free, but there was something I couldn't identify that was making this stay uncomfortable. I needed something to take this feeling away. I came up with a brilliant plan. Maybe it wasn't brilliant, but it was enough to feed my angst.

I decided to go to the armory first. It took me a while to find it, and I ended up looking in the wrong places, but after a few scowls and fingers pointed to _get out_ I found the room. The door was one of those big iron giants. It had very few designs on it other than two swords crossing. Though the whole door was metal, the door handle was a simple wood. That's interesting, I thought. But what alarmed me was that there was no one guarding the door. So anyone could just walk in? _Probably not_, I thought. The door was probably locked up nicely so that even the strongest man couldn't even get in. I pushed the door to try my luck. There was a spark of blue as my hand made contact with the handle. I jerked my hand away in surprise, and when it didn't appear again I cautiously grasped the handle. This time when I tried to open it, the door swung back into the room, creaking slightly. I stared at the door for a few seconds, marveling at what had just happened. I figured someone had accidentally left the door unlocked, and the blue spark was just my overactive imagination. I supposed I could just walk in. Besides, no one was watching.

I quickly but quietly snuck in and closed the door lightly behind me. There was a tall thick candle with a firestone next to it. I lit the candle and inhaled a little too much air as I saw how big the armory was. There was a lot of dust in the room, and when I inhaled I started to choke. Once I was steadily breathing again, I looked around. There was a table with just piles and piles of blades. There were daggers and long swords and so on. I picked up a long sword that had a golden handle. A dragon wrapped its body around the hilt. It was very balanced, and perfectly leveled. I swung it around a little, and was very excited by how perfect a match it was for me. I put this down on the table as the lines and lines of armor drew my attention. The magnificent armor was just calling me to try it on. Unfortunately, all of the armor was too big for me because it was made for men, but perhaps there was a small one in the back.

After several minutes of searching, I finally found a suit small enough to fit me. Like the sword, it was a perfect match. I picked up the sword and practiced cutting and thrusting the air. I always thought armor would be very heavy, but it was just the opposite. For me, it only put on a few extra pounds, and although it did slow down my swinging process, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Then I heard footsteps and whistling. I quickly put down the sword just as someone walked in. When they saw me, they immediately pulled out their sword. He was a knight with sandy blond hair that wasn't long, but it wasn't short either. He had blue eyes and a beard. His locks curled at the back of his neck and bounced as he moved.

"Who are you?" he demanded. He was the least intimidating knight I had ever met.

"Oh, uh, I'm -" I had to think fast. I remembered a king visiting once with his son. I remembered how ridiculous I thought his name was, and I decided to use it. In the deepest voice I could muster I said, "Sir Josue Kinney." In the heat of the moment, I took the glove on my right hand off and dropped it on the ground. "I challenge you to a duel. The first to knock the other man down wins." The knight looked a little confused and frightened. "Right now," I said in the most intimidating voice I could. He accepted, and went to the arena.

* * *

><p>I suppose the news got out because by the time we got there, the stands were full of people. King Uther, Arthur, Gwaine and the other knights were already seated. The crowd was chanting the other knight's name, but I couldn't catch what it was. Once the knight and I stepped into the arena, the king stood up and the chanting was silenced.<p>

"Today, we're welcoming Sir Josue Kinney of Maneria," the king announced. There was some clapping in the crowd, but mostly boos. "He will be dueling Sir Leon! Knight of Camelot." A wall of sound hit me as the whole crowd stood up and cheered. "They will fight until the first man is down." A few groans could be heard from the crowd. They were probably hoping it would be a fight to the death.

I was scared. What if I lost? The knights of Camelot were unrivaled. Somehow, I found my courage and raised my sword, and Sir Leon did the same. We circled around the perimeter of the arena, never taking our eyes off each other. We did this for some time. I could see he was studying me. I knew he would use that to his advantage. The knights of Camelot could tell a lot about their opponents just in the first glance, even those they had never seen before in their entire lives.

Suddenly, he lashed out at me, taking me completely by surprise. I stumbled back and almost fell, but I found my balance again. I took two steps back and clutched my sword tightly. He slashed at me in a pattern going from one shoulder to the other. He did that until I backed up into a wall and I couldn't go anywhere. He was about to hack down at me when I tripped him and he fell. Technically I won there, but he jumped onto his feet, and we continued. The crowd was about to clap, but saw what was happening. This time the knight looked fierce. I wasn't about to let a man beat me. I'd show all of them that I am better than any knight of Camelot! He slashed at my armor, but I blocked it with my sword. A series of moves followed my blocking of the sword. I hacked at him, but he expertly blocked my blow. I hacked again; this time, the blow hit him harder and he fell back. He rolled around as I slashed down at him. He stood up again, and I was about to sweep my sword to knock him down, but he jumped over my sword, completely avoiding it. I hacked again, but that didn't work so I changed tactics. I ran away from him. He of course followed me. I stopped as he ran full force at me. When he got close enough I cleaved at his armor, sending him flying back. He growled in anger and frustration and thrust at me, but I parried. I thrust back him and sent his sword flying far away. I tripped him, and I was soon looking down at him. I held the tip of my sword at his chest.

The whole crowd stood up and gasped, even the king. He looked scared. I pierced the ground with my sword and took off my helmet. The whole stadium was hushed. His eyes relaxed a little when he saw me. I gave him my hand and pulled him to his feet. When the crowd saw that the tournament was over, everyone erupted with applause and cheers. Sir Leon grabbed my hand and put it in the air. I smiled brightly until I saw the king's furious face. None of my friends - not even Merlin, who I saw was sitting next to Arthur - was happy. I felt discouraged, and a little guilty. I knew I had broken a law. Two actually. One: I broke into the armory, and two: I impersonated a knight. Now that the full force of exactly what I had done hit me, I thought, _Uh oh_. This would not end well.


	8. Chapter 8: The Throwing of Things

**Chapter 8: The Throwing of Things**

"I didn't know anyone could be more idiotic than Merlin, but I guess you just proved me wrong!" Arthur yelled at me as he marched into my room. Gaius, King Uther and a very offended Merlin followed him. Uther's eyes were icy, and that made me look down at my feet in shame.

"I'm sorry I acted so foolishly," I said sincerely.

"What were you _thinking_?!" Arthur asked in that tone he used with Merlin when his laundry wasn't done.

"I wasn't," I replied meekly. "I just missed it so much I... I couldn't resist. I'm sorry."

"Couldn't resist _what_, exactly?" the king questioned me.

"Sword fighting. I've been taught how to fight and defend myself since I was a little girl, and over the years I've come to love it. My father's death, not to mention finding out I was the princess of Actica changed my life so much I wasn't able to do the one thing I loved. And technically, I couldn't really do it before that either because I'm a _woman_." I almost spat the last word out as one of my life's grievances bubbled to the surface. "What I've never understood is why women aren't allowed to learn how to defend themselves. It's only the men; what if all the men were gone and only the women and children were left? They wouldn't last a day! I mean -"

"Hold your tongue, girl!" Uther interrupted me. "You aren't in any position to be complaining about your rights, which you have plenty of." I shut up since he made a good point. Uther sighed. "Hale, you seem like an agreeable girl who just needs a bit of, shall we say, guidance. So, I will not throw you out of Camelot." I sighed in relief. "However, you will be confined to your room until you have learned your lesson BUT - " He held up a hand to stop my protest. "If, for some reason you do need to leave the room, you boy!" He pointed to Merlin. "You'll escort her to wherever she needs to go. Arthur seems to trust you so I'm placing her fate in your hands."

"You make it sound like I'm dying," I muttered under my breath. Luckily, no one heard me. The king fixed me with a stern look.

"I hope you learn your lesson, Hale," he said, then swept out of the room, followed by Arthur. That left me, Gaius and Merlin alone in the room. Merlin looked at me reproachfully.

"Did you have to give me more chores?" he asked. "You know, I have to agree with Arthur. Even _I_ wouldn't do something as stupid as that!" I smiled.

"The thing is, he didn't even ask for my side of the story."

"He tends to do that," Merlin said, rolling his eyes. "And what would your side of the story be then?"

"I was doing a little exploring, and I found the armory. I had to try on the armor; it was too tempting. So I did, but Sir Leon came -"

"Wait! How did you get in there? And get past the guards?"

"There were no guards and the door was unlocked." Gaius raised his eyebrows.

"That is impossible. The armory is always locked if the guards are not there."

"Well, someone left it open." At that point, I remembered the blue spark, but I dismissed it as being unimportant. It wasn't as if the blue spark had unlocked the door; it practically swung open without help. "Anyway, I went in there and tried on the armor right as Sir Leon walked in. I had to pretend to be some knight."

"Had to?" Merlin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, no, I didn't have to. I panicked, that's all!" Gaius sighed, but Merlin looked at me understandingly. What is _with_ this kid? It's as if he knows what it's like to be me!

"Well, I have to leave you here, alone. I am locking this door okay? If you need me... well, I probably won't be able to help you because Arthur will be having me clean his room and get his meals and..." He went on for about two minutes, reciting a list of all the things Arthur may or may not make him do. He was out of breath by the time he finished. I think he had been dying to complain for a long time because that was a pretty hefty list of things he did on a daily basis; that wasn't even including the extra things he did for special events. I stifled a giggle, and then composed myself as Merlin bowed and walked out, leaving me alone with Gaius. He looked at me in concern.

"Are you alright, my dear? Have you been sleeping well?" At first I was confused, then I realized he was talking about my nightmares.

"Oh! Yes, yes I'm fine."

"Are you sure you don't want me to prepare you a sleeping draught?" he asked kindly. Forget what I said before; Gaius is a sweet old man. Which made me wonder how he and Merlin were related.

"No sleeping draught, thank you. And, um, Gaius?" He waited for me to continue. "I hope you don't mind my asking but... how, exactly, are you and Merlin related?" He smiled.

"Merlin and I aren't related by blood, if that's what you mean. His mother and I were old friends, and when Merlin... decided to move on and find work and a new home..." That struck me as odd, and I got the feeling that he was hiding something. Probably the same thing Merlin was hiding. "His mother sent him to me. He's lived with me for long enough now, and we've been through so much together that he's just like the son I never had."

"Oh," I said. It was kind of a sweet story. I made a mental note to pester Merlin about it later. I couldn't needlessly annoy Gaius.

"Will that be all, my lady?" he asked. I nodded. He smiled at me again, bowed, and then left the room. I sighed as I remembered my punishment. Just as I was turning around to flop on my bed and groan in despair, there was a knock on my door. Grumbling, I went to answer it, and surprise, surprise, it was Gwaine. He looked at me in concern.

"Merlin told me what happened. The king's mad." That was the understatement of the century. "Are you all right?"

I looked at him and said, "I just broke a promise, lost my freedom and seriously enraged the crown prince and his father. How do you _think_ I am?" He seemed a little taken aback by my outburst, and I started to feel guilty. I sighed. "Sorry. Today... has not gone well."

"Clearly," he snickered, surprising me. He shook his head, and then said, "You're right. You are definitely not princess material." I squeaked in shock and outrage and threw one of my pillows at him. He caught it with ease and stood there laughing. "I thought you hated being called princess?" he teased.

"I do! But you are so... ANNOYING it's hard to resist throwing things at you!" I retorted, getting ready to throw another pillow at him.

"Well, if you're going to be throwing things at me," Gwaine said, stepping closer to me, a strange smile beginning to spread across his face. "Why not throw me a kiss?"

Oh great. Not this again. For a minute there, I was actually enjoying Gwaine's company, but then he had to go ruin it with his unstoppable flirting habits. It gets real old in a hurry. I glared at him. He had the decency to look ashamed; his smile disappeared.

"You know," I began. "For the record, I like you _a lot_ better when you aren't trying to 'woo' me or whatever. Trust me, it will not work. I guarantee it."

"Why? Is there someone else?" A small smile was playing at the corners of his mouth.

"What? No!" I spluttered, turning red. "There isn't anyone else! I mean, there might have been once, long ago but they're gone now so it doesn't matter anyway, completely beside the point! What are you implying? I mean -" I stopped when I realized he was studying me strangely.

"There _used to be_ someone else?"

"No! Uh, I mean yes, maybe but... arg!" I flopped on my bed, my face burning with embarrassment. Gwaine sat down beside me. I glared at him, but he just raised a questioning eyebrow at me. I sighed and said, "Long story short, my father died in a fire. One of the boys in the tavern saved me, and then we lived together for a while before he suddenly left one day." His eyes widened but I was too caught up in my memories to care.

"The world would be a much simpler place without love," I grumbled, my arm flopped over my face. Gwaine was silent for a minute, and then said quietly, "But it wouldn't be nearly as beautiful." I stared at him in shock.

"Since when did you become so poetic?" He laughed. "Though I suppose you have a point," I said, more to myself than to him. "Life wouldn't be worth living without love."

"Now who's the poet?" Gwaine teased, poking me. I slapped his finger away. He just grinned like an idiot. _That grin_...

"Do I know you?" I blurted, sitting up suddenly. He raised an eyebrow.

"Clearly. I'm in your bedroom, aren't I?" I punched his arm, and he winced.

"No, I mean from before, clotpole!" He groaned.

"Not you too!"

"What?"

"Merlin. He's always saying clotpole or dollop head. What _is_ a dollop head anyway?"

"From what I've gathered, 'dollop head' is Prince Arthur." Gwaine stared at me for a few seconds, then burst out laughing.

"Is that what he told you?" he gasped, still hunched over and cracking up. I couldn't help it; I started giggling too.

"Yup. He told me the night of the feast."

"Oh! Is that what you two were laughing hysterically about?"

I smiled sheepishly. "Uh... yeah."

"Wait! Why was Arthur laughing then?" he asked, puzzled. I shrugged.

"I think he was laughing at us laughing." Gwaine snickered.

"Figures."

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

"Arthur is a nice guy, but he likes to be 'in' on things, probably because he's the prince. So even if he has no clue what's going on, he'll still pretend he does."

"Well, that's stupid." Gwaine laughed.

"Try telling Arthur that. Though I wouldn't recommend it. Of course," he grinned at me. "You probably would anyway." I tried to hit him with my remaining pillow, but he just blocked it and laughed. He really liked to laugh, it seemed. I hated to admit it, but Gwaine was starting to grow on me.

"I probably should be going," he announced, getting up. I quickly got up too.

"Why?" Suddenly, I wanted him to stay. What was I saying? I instantly regretted saying that as hope fluttered back into Gwaine's eyes.

"Because I've been here way too long. People are probably wondering what... happened." He winked at me, so I whacked him really hard on the head.

"Ow! Okay, okay I'm going!" He walked across the room to my door, but stopped in the doorway. He looked back and said slyly, "I'll just leave you alone to sulk in solitude, shall I?" I made an extremely rude gesture at him (hey, I'm not known for my manners), but he laughed, completely unfazed, and took off. Grumbling about how stupid men could be, I stalked back to my bed and flopped on it face down. I still had no idea what I was going to do for the rest of the day.


	9. Chapter 9: Freedom is a Precious Thing

**Chapter 9: Freedom is a Precious Thing**

It had been a day or two since the king had confined me to my room. I had only left the room to wash. I hardly saw anyone besides Merlin, with the occasional visit from Gwaine or Gwen. Neither of them had the authority to take me out, so I was pretty much stuck in there because Merlin had a million other more important things to do for Arthur. Today, I was humming a silly song my father used to sing to me while he made the armor and weapons for the king. It went something like this: "Sing blue bird sing! Sing your heart out, Sing blue bird sing and take away my doubt. I am working here for a meal or two, for my wife and children, working in the fields just to make a livin'..." It was a silly song, but that's what he always sang. I continued humming it as someone rapped on my door. Finally! No one had visited me in two days. I swear I was going to die in that room. They had passed me food through the door and that was it. I opened my door to see Merlin. He held up two stirrups. "Are you ready to go?"

"Go where?" I was irritated with him for not having shown up sooner.

"I'm going to show you around Camelot. I figured you must have been bored stiff since I haven't been able to get out of work to 'escort' you anywhere."

"But the king said I couldn't leave the castle."

"The king isn't going to know, now is he?" I liked his wit, my previous irritation starting to dissolve, and something told me I should just go.

"Okay then."

"Here. Wear this first and put it over your head so no one will recognize you." He handed me a blue cloak. I put the hood over my head and we snuck out of the castle. There were a few times where we were nearly caught, but other than that everything went pretty smoothly. We stopped by the room where Gaius and Merlin lived to get some food to take with us. As he was handing the sack to me, Gaius winked and said, "Have fun!" We went through the market so that no one would be able to spot us in the thick crowds. The horses were waiting for us by some trees that hid them from the view of anyone in the castle. Once mounted, we rode off in the direction of the forest and I reveled in the feeling of being free. As we rode, I grinned hugely at Merlin and exclaimed, "Thank you!"

He stared at me for a second, and then said, "You have no idea how weird this is."

"What do you mean? I thought you were used to riding?"

"No, not that. I never get thanks from royalty!"

"Who're you calling royalty?" I asked. "The king's confined me to my room; that doesn't seem very royal to me!" It was lame, but we laughed anyway. Then Merlin began telling me stories about his time in Camelot. He was actually a really good storyteller, so it felt like only a few minutes had passed by the time we arrived at the place Merlin was leading us to. We were up in the hills where there were a few trees to provide us with some shade. It was quite a view; we could see the castle, and we could hear the bustling of the people working. Once the horses were fed and watered, we sat down on the ground. Merlin unveiled the food with a flourish. As he began sharing out the food, I said, "Merlin? You are a liar."

His eyes widened. "Who, me?"

I snorted. "No, the Merlin sitting next to you. Yes, you!"

He frowned. "Why am I a liar?"

"You said you were going to show me around Camelot. This isn't Camelot."

"Oh. Well, see, I'm showing you _around_ Camelot, not Camelot itself because, well, then you would probably be kicked out and I would lose my job and possibly my head. I don't know about you, but I rather like my head where it is so you get to see _around_ Camelot. Maybe when the king likes you again you can see Camelot itself."

"So, basically you dragged me to the middle of nowhere to have a picnic _around_ Camelot?" He smiled and nodded.

"Wow, Merlin. I'm starting to agree with Arthur. You can be a bit of an idiot." He glared at me, but I just laughed. I was really beginning to like Merlin. He could be a little doltish at times, but he was so sweet and likable it was easy to forgive him. He was starting to feel like the brother I never had... or at least like a brother to replace the ones I almost had. Thinking about them made me sad, so I quickly shook the thought off. I wasn't going to be sad and mope around on the first day I finally got a taste of freedom. Not that is was easy to mope with Merlin around, but still.

"So," Merlin said, stretching out on the grass. "Aside from the lack of freedom, how are you enjoying Camelot so far?" I thought about it for a minute.

"It's... very different from Actica."

"That's it? That's all you have to say?"

"Well, considering I've only seen the inside of the palace and _around_ Camelot, what else am I supposed to say? Although the _around_ of Camelot is very nice." I smiled at him sweetly, but he threw some dirt at me and I gasped in mock outrage. He looked shocked at what he did. So was I.

"How dare you throw dirt at a lady?" I scolded mockingly. He rolled his eyes.

"Not even close to impressive," he drawled. "You are the most unlady-like lady I have ever met! Even Gaius is more lady-like than you!" Now it was my turn to throw dirt at him. The jerk just snickered as if he was used to having dirt thrown at him. Sadly, he probably was.

"Are you drunk? You seem a little..." I wobbled my hand back and forth in the air.

He stared at me reproachfully, though the effect was somewhat ruined by the fact that he was looking at me upside down since he was lying on his back. "Of course not! They don't let the servants near the mead unless they have to serve it!"

"Technically, I'm not supposed to be out of the palace either," I retorted, smirking. He glared at me and started to get up.

"Well then, Lady Hale. Shall we go now?"

"No, no!" I said quickly. "I was joking, I know you aren't that stupid. Okay, okay!" I cried as he got up completely. "I'll be good now!"

"So you made me get up for nothing? Thanks a lot! Do you know how much laundry I've done in the past few days?" he groaned and flopped back on the ground. We were quiet for a minute, and then I decided to break the silence.

"So, tell me exactly why you came to Camelot. I know Gaius didn't give me all the details."

"My mother thought that I needed a fresh start in life. The village life was a boring one. There were only about forty people living in my village, Ealdor. It just so happened that I saved Arthur's life on my first day here, so King Uther made me his servant as my reward." I looked at him, bewildered.

"Ah! So I'm in the company of a hero! What did you save him from, exactly?" He didn't look at me for a long time. I could tell that he was trying to choose his words carefully.

"I saved him from the witch Mary Collins. She had taken over the body of Lady Helen, who came to sing for the king."

"And how did you save him?" I found it amusing that this skimpy boy in front of me had saved Arthur from an extremely powerful witch. He totally changed the subject.

"So, your uncle is a dark sorcerer. Is he powerful?"

I thought back to the day he ruined my life, and remembered how with just a wave of his hand my sword flew out of my hands. "Yes. He didn't even have to say an incantation to do magic." Merlin flinched.

"Wow, that is powerful."

"Yes, and that's the day I realized that all magic was bad."

"Really?" He looked pale, like he did the other night. "So, if I had magic, would you tell the king?"

"Well, it would depend on what you did. If you used it for good or for evil."

"So you're saying that not all magic is bad?" My goodness! I never thought of it like that.

"Yeah, I guess. It only depends on how you use it," I said distantly. There was silence for a moment.

"Well, all this food is going to waste!" Merlin said abruptly. "Shall we, uh, 'dig in' now, my lady? Or are you too -"

He never got to finish his sentence because I shoved a piece of bread in his mouth. He choked and flailed around for a little bit while I sat there cracking up. He tried to sit up, but just fell back.

"What?" I asked. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he managed. I think his throat was sore. Oops. "Your necklace blinded me. The sun, you know..."

"Oh." I had actually forgotten about the necklace in the past few days. Too many exciting things had happened to me lately. I remembered the conversation I had with Gwaine about the boy.

"What are you thinking about?" Merlin asked, his mouth full of food. "I can tell you're thinking. You're quiet and you're not being mean to me." I raised an eyebrow.

"It's nothing. Just something Gwaine and I talked about." His eyes lit up immediately.

"You and Gwaine?" Merlin could be such a girl sometimes.

"Yes, _Sir_ Gwaine and I. And we only talked."

"Suuuuuure you did," he said mischievously. I glared at him, and he just said, "Aw, come on Hale! You know you like him!"

"Me? No! And what do you think we would do, you little weasel? I was just telling him about the boy I used to live with-"

"Oh! The boy! And I suppose you told him your tragic love story?"

"_Love story?_ No!" He wiggled his eyebrows a bit.

"So how did it even come up then? Were you two exchanging secrets or something?"

"Oh you know, the way all conversations come up." I was trying to change the subject, but I knew that he would still pester me until he heard what he wanted. "He tried to um, kiss me." Those last words came out with a struggle, and as I said them he laughed so loudly the whole world could probably hear him.

"Hale? You are a _terrible_ liar."

"I am not lying!"

"Ooooh getting defensive now, eh?" I made to pick up the canteen of water so I could dump it all over his head but he beat me to it. He looked at it and his eyes briefly flashed gold. The water canteen zoomed over to him.

"Uh-uh-uh," he said triumphantly. I just stared at him in shock. Slowly, he realized what he had done, and the color drained from his face. He had frozen the canteen in midair so that it was just a few inches from his face. I wasn't scared, just shocked that Merlin, of all people, could use magic. He stuttered as I stared. He tried to explain to me that it wasn't what it seemed, but it was as clear as day. Merlin was a sorcerer.

"Huh," I said as normally as I could. "So you weren't kidding when you asked me if I would turn you in to Uther."

"Hale! You can't tell anyone about this!"

"I knew it! I knew there was something about you, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Merlin, you can use magic! What else can you do? Can you make things appear out of nowhere? Can you make it rain? Could you turn Arthur into a woman?" I could tell he was confused by my reaction; he probably thought that I would be scared off and tell the king.

"Hale. You promise you won't tell anyone?" My enthusiasm was dampened a little. I knew I had to reassure him and let him know that he had my trust.

"Yes, of course. So is this why you came to Camelot? Does anyone else know?"

"Only Gaius, and Lancelot." I could tell that he was still in shock because I wasn't freaking out. I smiled kindly at him.

"Seriously, don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. Promise." He searched my face intently, looking for any sign that I was lying. Finally, he sighed and relaxed.

"You have no idea how nice it is to be myself!"

"I would know, Merlin. For a time in my life I had to wear dresses all day! Hated it. I don't get why women would want to wear those anyway." He just shrugged.

"But you don't know what it's like to have to hide your abilities so that you aren't killed. Do you know how many times I've saved Arthur's life? But he doesn't know it's me; he can't know it's me until Uther is gone. Then maybe there's a chance people like me won't be persecuted anymore." He paused. "But on a happier note, since we're being honest here," he continued. "I have to say you're the most beautiful lady I have ever met. Even when you're covered in dirt!" He laughed. No one had ever made me laugh so much in my life.

"So why aren't you falling head over heels for me like Gwaine?" I teased. He was about to crack a joke, but thought better of it.

"Because there's just something about you Hale. Gwen is like the sister I never had. You're like the sister I never wanted."

"Oh thanks. I've always wanted to be an unwanted sister." The sarcasm in my voice couldn't have been more evident.

"Well, it's a brother's duty to compliment his sister, boost her self-esteem you know, even if he has to lie through his teeth to do it."

"What are you trying to say?" Our banter went on like this for quite some time. After we had finished eating (actually it was mostly throwing our food at each other), Merlin mounted his horse and I followed him as we rode back to Camelot, laughing all the while. When we neared the city walls, I put my hood up and we rode unnoticed to the stables. We snuck back to my room in the nick of time; Arthur walked in just as I sat on my bed.

"Merlin! Where have you been all day? I had a knighting, and I couldn't find the proper armor. I was late to it, you know, and a prince cannot be late to these kinds of things."

"Arthur -" I began.

"It's Prince Arthur to you! Or sire."

"Well then, _sire_!" I exaggerated the formality. "All I wanted to say was that I had him very busy today, doing chores for me and running errands." This just annoyed Arthur even more.

"Who do you think you are, queen of the castle? Well, you aren't! You're our guest, and you shall follow our rules! You've already broken two; I don't want to have to send you to the dungeons as well. Merlin here is _my_ servant, so he shouldn't be doing work for _you_."

"But your father said - You know what? Never mind. I'm sorry I kept Merlin from you." Arthur eyed me and sighed.

"It's all right. You seem like a nice girl, Hale, but you're really good at getting yourself into trouble. Even better at it than Merlin, I would say. Now come on Merlin, my horses need mucking out." Arthur turned around and left. As he was leaving, Merlin turned around to face me.

"That was close," he said.

"Yeah. Next time, we'll be more careful and keep track of time," I agreed. He winked at me and grandly declared, "Until the next time we meet, my lady!" Then he marched out, leaving me on my bed giggling over his dorkiness and reliving the events of the day. Freedom is a precious thing.


	10. Chapter 10: The Lesson in His Dark Story

**Chapter 10: A Lesson in His (Dark) Story**

I heard a knocking at the door. It sounded urgent, but was very soft. I wouldn't have heard it if I hadn't been lying awake for hours anyway. I heaved a sigh, pulled the bed sheets off of me and made sure I looked as decent as one could be when wearing a nightgown. I didn't bother with my hair, for I was sure they would understand. It was probably after midnight, and I wondered who on earth would need me so early in the morning. I shuffled to the door and opened it slightly to see who it was. It was Merlin. He had a childish gleam in his eye, and he bounced a little like he would explode from excitement if I didn't open up the door. It must have been important to risk waking me up in the middle of the night; I was notorious for being cranky. I opened the door, but he flew into the room before I could open it enough for him to even enter.

"Merlin, why on earth are you here so early?" I whispered while scratching my leg.

"Well, don't you look lovely," was all he said, and I rolled my eyes. Something thumped on my bed as he sat down. I lit a nearby candle and Merlin beckoned me to sit next to him. Only then did I notice the giant book he had brought with him.

"Oh Merlin, we're not going to read right now, are we? I'm too tired!"

"I found something," he mumbled, breathless as he flipped through the book. I sat next to him, tucked my hair behind my ear, and looked over his shoulder. He was licking his lips in frustration, and then suddenly his eyebrows rose in excitement.

"Look-look-look!" He pointed animatedly at a section of text. I read along as he read aloud in a whisper.

"Cairon Eveas, the son of King Mortimer and Queen Lidya of Actica, the brother of Prince Hadrian. Cursed by Druids with dark magic. Uh..." He scanned the page with his finger. "Oh! It says here that he threatened the lives of many of the village people as a boy. He practiced dark magic on his brother, trying to make him bleed from the inside. Apparently, he was 'simply curious.'" A shiver went down my spine.

"He did this as a _child_?"

"It only gets worse from there. Okay, it says here that the Druids who cursed him were -" He stopped so suddenly that I was confused for a while.

"Are you okay?"

"The Druids who cursed him were from the Island of the Blessed. The most powerful Druids reside there."

"What does this all mean?" I was wide-awake now.

"He was cursed by the Druids. But that doesn't mean he possessed magic all of a sudden."

"Well, is it possible to have magic because of a curse? Or maybe having it given to you instead of being born with it?"

"Anything is possible, but it still doesn't explain in this book why he was cursed and what he did to be hidden from civilization."

"I wonder what he did to deserve a curse like that?" I mused. "Do you think we could find out?" We sat in silence for about ten seconds, and then we both turned to each other with the same idea in mind.

"I feel bad," Merlin said without a trace of remorse. "But let's go give Gaius a midnight visit, shall we?" He grinned in excitement.

* * *

><p>We were both panting by the time we reached the little room where Gaius and Merlin lived. Merlin let us in and immediately strode over to where Gaius was sleeping peacefully. I had planned on gently shaking him awake, but Merlin decided that practically pushing him off his bed would be sufficient. Gaius almost fell out, but Merlin caught him and that jolted him awake.<p>

"Merlin! How many times have I told you that the extra candles are in the small cupboard?" he groaned. Merlin must have a lot of late-night emergencies. I laughed to myself as I watched this odd duo interact with each other.

"Aha!" Merlin said triumphantly as he lit a candle he'd found in the small cupboard. Of course, he didn't light it like any other normal person. He lit it with magic.

"Merlin!" Gaius spluttered in panic, looking at me to see my reaction. He was obviously getting ready for me to sprint out of the room to tell Uther.

"It's okay, she already knows," Merlin replied with a shrug. Gaius raised a sleepy eyebrow.

"And _how_, exactly, did she find out?" Merlin's neck turned red.

"Well... it's kind of a long story... I mean..." Gaius sighed.

"You need to be more careful Merlin. I'm sure Hale isn't going to expose you, but you still must exercise more caution!" He rubbed his eyes. "Now, why did you wake me up at this hour?" Merlin showed him the book.

"It says here that Cairon was cursed by the Druids, but it doesn't say why. We were hoping maybe _you_ could tell us?" He gave Gaius his best _pretty-please_ face.

"Why not go to the library like you normally would do when you are messing with the lives of magical beings?" Gaius grumbled.

"I did! That's where I got this book." Merlin jabbed his finger at it. "I searched other books to find more, but there was nothing, absolutely _nothing_ about Cairon. It's as if the king is pretending he doesn't exist." Gaius sighed.

"I believe this is going to require a lot of tea. Merlin, make some of the strongest tea we have in the cupboard. You'll need some too, my lady." He winked at me. Merlin somehow managed to bring over three piping hot cups of herbal tea. I thought he would have dropped them, or at the very least spilled a little, but he didn't. I sipped on the sweet tea as Gaius began his story.

"Cairon Eveas was the third son of King Mortimer and Queen Lidya."

"Third son? But the book -"

"The book doesn't know everything, now does it?" I had a sinking feeling this story was going to be a lot darker than I feared.

"The first son, Marcus, was Cairon's triplet brother." He said this as if it were important. I supposed he would tell us. He was waiting from some sort of response from us when I heard a wet plop and a splutter/shriek as Merlin wiped his face frantically next to me. He dunked his face in a bin of water that was next to him, and the shrieking stopped. I looked next to me to see that the tea was spilled all over the table and I pieced things together. Ironically enough, Merlin must have fallen asleep during the story Gaius was telling us and fell face first into the steaming hot cup of tea. He lifted his soaking head from the bin of water and smiled at us. His face was slightly red, but he was lucky because it could have been a lot worse.

"Please continue Gaius," Merlin said as nonchalantly as possible. He sat back in the chair. "I'll be awake this time." Snickering, I looked back to Gaius as he continued.

"Where was I? Oh yes. Marcus, Hadrian, and Cairon were triplets. Now the rule for triplet royals is that the firstborn will be heir and the other two will become barons of the land. But before I get to that part of the story, you wanted to know about how and why Cairon was cursed. Cairon was always a troubled child growing up. He was violent, ill tempered and notorious for stealing things. Oftentimes, he was followed around by one of the knights of the kingdom to make sure he didn't cause any more trouble. However, late at night after his thirteenth birthday, he drugged the soldiers' food with a sleeping draught and snuck out of the castle. He was going to the village to steal some money from the peasants; he was corrupt as a child. As he was stealing from a very poor family, he came across a beautiful lady. They say she had long silver hair that was the color of the moon, and her skin shimmered in the moonlight. She had small, cherry red lips and dark eyelashes that curled delicately. She was tall and perfect in every way. They say that she wore white from head to toe except for a golden bracelet around her ankle. Her clothes were made out of some fabric that was transparent, yet you couldn't see through them."

I gave a startled jolt. A lady who dressed entirely in white? I looked at Gaius, a little confused but continued to listen. "He was captured by her unnatural beauty, and dropped everything he had as she beckoned to him. 'A young lad of your lineage shouldn't be doing something of that nature,' she said to him. He then confessed to her all the crimes he committed. She told him that he could erase all of that from time if he gave back to all of those people and apologized for his wrongdoings. Though her beauty was captivating, it wasn't enough to persuade his dark heart to repent, and he told her that he would never stop bringing harm to those around him. She asked him why, and he told her that all of these people didn't deserve to live. His father, the king, had fought wars to protect them, and guard them, but they were useless and they were bringing down the kingdom. The lady considered what he had said, and came to a conclusion. She deemed him unworthy to be king, unless he passed a test successfully."

"A test? Why do all future kings have some sort of test?" Merlin asked, slightly annoyed by this fact.

"We must know if they are ready to rule over the people or not. So the test was a test of his kindness. The fair lady didn't tell Cairon what his test was; she simply told him to walk through the forest and he would see it. The only thing he had with him was a torch and a cloak. She said that those were the only things he needed to pass this test." Merlin and I sat at the edge of our chairs, wide wake and attentively listening to every word Gaius was saying. "He spent many months wandering through the forest waiting for the test. After a year, he became impatient and -"

"A year! I would have stopped after a few hours." Gaius flashed Merlin an annoyed look and continued.

"Patience was one good attribute that Cairon possessed, but after a year he had found nothing. He was angry with the beautiful maiden for sending him out on a false quest. He turned back to go back to Actica when one night, he spotted fire from far away. It was cold and he was tired, and he thought maybe he could find some refuge with whomever the fire belonged to. Over the course of the year, Cairon didn't know how far he had really traveled, and he stumbled upon Albion. Albion is the city where the Druids live."

"So he was close to Camelot?" Merlin asked, surprised and amazed that Cairon had traveled so far.

"Yes. The Druids there were kind and allowed him to rest for the night. They were still wary of his presence. He was still royalty after all, and this was taking place during the Great Purge when Uther was executing all those who were in the business of magic. As Cairon slept, the Druids put out his fire so that he would be cold at night. They wanted to see if he would complain about it. In the middle of the night, he awoke the Druid man that had given up his tent for him and complained about how the fire should always be kept going. He told the Druids to put their magic to use. They obeyed him and continued sleeping. The next morning they served Cairon the best meal they could as a sign of their hospitality. For Cairon, the food of simple bread, water and meat wasn't good enough and he threw it on the floor. Many of the Druids were offended and told him he would have to leave if he did anything else to upset the people. He grudgingly agreed, but he didn't know of the ultimate test that was coming his way.

"That evening, he decided to take a walk through the forest. On his way, he heard the cantering of horses. Five knights of Camelot had found him. Thinking he was a Druid, they were about to behead him but he managed to make them pause. He told them that he would make a bargain. He said that he would tell them where the Druids were if they let him go. They agreed and he told the knights of the kind Druids' location. He wanted to see what happened so he went along with the knights. It was a massacre, as the Druids didn't have much skill with a sword. The men protected the women as much as possible. They were surprised that their location had been compromised, for only the Druids knew where they were... and the visitor. Cairon decided to help out the knights and saw a little boy trying to run away; his mother was behind a tree frantically beckoning for him to come. Cairon ran over and stabbed the boy in the back. The young boy died instantly and the fighting slowly died down as they all looked to watch what happened next. The mother behind the tree stepped out and directed a gaze full of fury, anguish and hate at Cairon. The knights all stood back and watched, not sure exactly what to do. The boy's mother performed the curse known as the Diabolus curse." Merlin gasped, shocked. I was lost, and they both looked at each other when they realized that I wasn't familiar with magic like they clearly were. Merlin decided to take the liberty to tell me about his favorite subject: magic.

"The Diabolus curse is a curse from the Old Religion. They used to call it the curse of the gods. It's arguably one of the darkest curses anyone can place on you."

"What does it do? Does it kill you?"

"No, it's not a curse for the person themselves, but for the people around them. In Cairon's case, the mother placed a curse that made him pure evil. Everything he did would be evil. But she had also made it so that he wielded magic, but the darkest magic of them all. It was the worst time to bear magic since Uther was executing them all." Gaius smartly picked up the conversation.

"Naturally Cairon had a hard time handling the magic at first. To have so much magic bestowed upon you on such short notice is extremely difficult. And since it was so potent and powerful from the mother's anger, the effects of his inability to control the magic were devastating. Once he was able to get a grip on the magic, he began to use it to further his ends, which grievously affected anyone who got in his way. I believe the mother had intended for the magic to consume and destroy Cairon; sadly, that wasn't the case. He traveled back to Actica after that year. Despite his past wrongdoings, his parents accepted him back into the royal family. They asked him where he went. Of course, he never told them the truth, but instead made up an extravagant adventure in some unknown land with unknown creatures. For many years, Cairon didn't use his power. He kept it very quiet; so quiet, in fact, that the knights of Camelot could not find him anywhere. One year when Cairon was about nineteen - six years into the Great Purge - he lost control over his magic, destroying everything and inevitably killing his older triplet brother. In panic, he ran away from Actica, causing havoc everywhere he went. However, legend has it that he really killed his own brother so that he could receive the right to the throne.

"Cairon had gone to find the Druids who had cursed him. Of course, he left such a clear path of destruction that the knights of Camelot easily tracked him down. Unfortunately for him, he ran into some of those knights and they bound him so that he couldn't escape. They brought him to Uther, who decided to keep him in a cave as far away from Camelot as possible. He knew that none of the mortal things he possessed could reckon with the power Cairon had, so he found a witch, a powerful ally of the king." That threw me. Wasn't the point of the Great Purge to eradicate magic? Why had Uther formed an alliance with a witch, and more importantly, why did the witch form an alliance with someone who was hunting down her kind?

"She went on the trek with four of his knights. They say they traveled for nine days and nine nights to get to the cave. No one knows what the cave looks like, or if it even exists at all, but one night Cairon escaped and disappeared. The next morning, when the knights realized what had happened, they went in search of Cairon. They looked through the entire forest. Then, one of the knights _conveniently_," Gaius emphasized that word, "... looked up at the craggy mountain that they would have to climb to get to the cave. When they got there, the knights managed to corner Cairon in the cave, but it's said all he had to do was utter the single most menacing, insane laugh and all the knights fell down dead." I was utterly repulsed by this description of my uncle.

"I thought it was a curse that no one would ever want, not a spell to give an evil man more power than he deserves." Gaius sighed, "The Druid woman never meant to give Cairon more power. She just wanted him to become the hunted and feel what they felt."

"Well, that was the stupidest way to do it!" I cried.

"Don't forget it was a curse. Cairon was doomed from the moment the spell was cast."

"Tell that to the villages he's so happily destroyed," I muttered. There was silence for a minute, and then Gaius stood up.

"It's quite late. I think you two had better head off to bed now." Merlin and I started to protest, but Gaius held up a hand. "You have been confined to your room, Hale, and even if you could stay I wouldn't have anything more to tell you." That shut me up. So after thanking Gaius warmly for the tea and the story, Merlin insisted on escorting me back to my chambers. He smiled and left me at the door. Upon entering the room, I realized I wouldn't be able to sleep after everything that I had just learned about my uncle, so I sat on the window ledge instead of going to bed. I'd once heard that when you cannot sleep, the worst thing you could do was lie in bed. So for the remainder of the night I sat on the ledge, watching the sleeping kingdom and fearing for those who had the misfortune to meet my uncle.


	11. Chapter 11: Cairon's Brutality

**Chapter 11: Cairon's Brutality**

It had now been almost two weeks since I was confined to my room. The king had been busy so he hadn't been able to check on me. Today, however, he found that time.

"I see you're doing fine here alone. I suppose two weeks of confinement wouldn't be enough time for your bad deeds to sink into that thick head of yours...?"

"I assure you, your highness, I have learned my lesson."

"Good, so that means you won't be busy this evening?"

"No...?" I was confused as to what was happening. If there was another feast, I was not going, no matter what he said.

"Good, because you are going to tell me everything that happened in Actica, and the story of how you found out you were of royal blood. My scribe will be there and shall record everything. Come to the throne room before sundown, and don't be late." With that, he swept out of the room. I'd noticed the king rarely walks anywhere. He'd march out, sweep out, or storm out, but he wouldn't just walk out. I sighed. Reciting the tragic tale of my life so far wasn't an activity I would have chosen for myself, but I _supposed_ it was better than sitting alone in my room all day.

* * *

><p>I didn't even bother to change when I went down to the hall to meet the king, and as he had said, the scribe was already there, writing something down. The king sat on his throne and talked while the scribe scribbled down every word he said. I bowed as I entered, and the king stopped talking. There was no chair for me so I just stood in front of the king as he questioned me.<p>

"You know, I hadn't heard that King Hadrian's wife had a third child."

"She didn't," I said bluntly. "It was a maid. According to my father anyway." Uther looked astonished, and a little disgusted. That hurt.

"So your mother was a... maid?" He asked me that as if it was a joke to him. Honestly, I had the same question.

"Yes, sire." Well, at least I think so. Hadrian's dying words rang in my head, and I knew it had something to do with my questions about my mother. "But before then, I'd always been led to believe that my father was a blacksmith. He was the man who raised me, and in some ways, he is my true father. Unfortunately," I started to choke up a little. "He was killed in a fire. That was when King Hadrian took me in and told me I was his daughter..." I went on to tell him the rest of my story, not leaving one detail out. When I got to the part about Cairon, he asked me if I had known he was my uncle.

"No. I had never heard of him before. I had only known of my own heritage as princess for a few weeks. I don't think my father would have wanted me to know the dark side of our family."

"He is powerful, Hale, and he is a great threat to every kingdom. Don't do something that might jeopardize your life. I think you should know that even though you left Actica, Cairon killed all of those who wouldn't abide by his rules. That would be most of the women and children." He stated it so baldly, so distantly that at first what he said didn't really register. Then, a chill went down my spine as I realized Cairon, _my uncle_, had murdered innocent people to defend his pride. Rage and horror welled up in me like rough seas. I would get revenge, if not for myself, then for those hundreds of lives he took. I was also terrified because I recalled what I had recently learned about my uncle's shady past. I was so upset I was visibly shaking, and Uther noticed.

"Have I frightened you?" he asked, concerned.

"Frightened? No. Exactly the opposite," I spat between gritted teeth. "That filthy, despicable, MONSTROUS little -"

"That's enough!" the king bellowed. "I understand this is disturbing news, but you will not talk in front of a king like that. Now, off you go." I stormed out of the room, practically knocking over anyone who was in my way. As I turned a corner, I slammed into something solid and nearly fell backwards. Strong hands caught me and helped me up. I looked up to see Arthur peering worriedly at me.

"You seem to be in a hurry. You look upset," he said. "Did my father yell at you?"

"No. He just told me that _Cairon_," I snarled as I said the monster's name. "Murdered all those who resisted his rule in Actica, so hundreds of women and children are now dead. Not to mention what he did _before_..." Arthur's face turned white, and I seriously thought he was going to faint until I realized he was almost as furious as I was.

"He... murdered...?" Arthur spluttered, speechless. "_Hundreds?_" I just nodded mutely. We both stood in silence for a while.

"We can't just let this happen!" he exclaimed suddenly, surprising me. I looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

His face was determined. "We have to stop him!"

"Woah, woah, woah there, hold your horses! We can't just go charging off to battle an extremely powerful and extremely EVIL sorcerer alone!"

The crown prince of Camelot just smiled darkly and said, "Who said anything about doing this alone?"


	12. Chapter 12: The More the Merrier

**Chapter 12: The More the Merrier**

Totally lost, I followed Arthur as he marched purposefully down the hall. Eventually, we ended up outside on the lawn where the knights practiced. As we approached, people stopped what they were doing and bowed to Arthur. He nodded to every single one of them. _This is what a good king would do_, I couldn't help thinking. When we reached the knights, they all straightened up and bowed. Arthur stood before them, hands on his hips, and announced, "A neighboring kingdom is in trouble. Their king is dead, as are his sons. The usurper, Cairon Eveas, has begun to kill those who oppose his rule, so hundreds of innocent people, including women and children, are being slaughtered. As a knight of Camelot, it is against my morals to let such atrocities happen, so I need a few brave knights to accompany the Lady Hale and myself on this quest. I only need one or two since the rest of you must stay to defend Camelot." There was silence for a moment as the knights digested what he had said, then that one knight - Lancelot - stepped forward.

"I would be honored to accompany you," he said quietly. Arthur nodded approvingly, and I smiled at him gratefully. Next was Sir Leon, who bowed and winked at me.

"It would be an honor to fight alongside my... opponent," he said playfully, a twinkle in his eye. I blushed as the rest of the knights chuckled.

"It's settled then!" Arthur said, clapping the two knights on the back. As the four of us were leaving, a voice called, "Wait!"

We turned to see Gwaine running up to us. For some reason, my heart skipped a little. I was aghast. What was wrong with me? He was panting by the time he reached us.

"You didn't think I was going to miss this, did you?" he said cheerfully as he fell into step beside me. I jumped a little as his arm brushed mine. "Now, I think Merlin and Gwen ought to come with us as well."

"Merlin of course, but Gwen? I don't think so. It's too dangerous," said Arthur, a little bit of worry in his voice. Gwaine snorted.

"Don't worry, lover boy, Gwen will be fine. She's tougher than she looks. And don't start the whole 'no ladies allowed' thing; you're bringing Hale along too. Although I suppose she doesn't technically count as a lady..." For that, I punched his arm.

"I know Gwen can handle it, but she can't defend herself like Hale can, or like..." His voice trailed off, but we all knew he was talking about Morgana. As we neared the palace, Gwaine cleared his throat and continued.

"Like it or not, we need Gwen. That girl is the only person that could at least heal us in case of anything. And I know she would come on a dangerous quest. That is, unless you want to invite Gaius?" We all knew that would be a bad idea because he wouldn't let us go in the first place. "We'll need her talents, and besides, Hale can take care of her. She's more than capable of looking after herself as well as Gwen." I looked at him, surprised by the compliment, and began to feel a teensy bit guilty about punching him. Only a little bit though.

"All right then," Arthur said slowly. He was still unsure about involving Gwen in this.

"You know she'd want to come," I told him, surprising myself. "I think she's tired of always having to be the one who anxiously waits for the others to come home safely."

"There, you see? Hale agrees with me, and that NEVER happens so it's done! Guinevere will be coming along for the ride!" Gwaine exclaimed. Arthur still didn't look happy, but he didn't protest as we entered the castle. Along the way, we stopped by Gaius' and grabbed Merlin, then wandered around until we found Gwen. At the end of a long empty corridor, Arthur turned around to face us all.

"You're all very brave to sign up for this. I believe we're doing the right thing, but I have a feeling my father will disagree. He doesn't want Camelot to get involved, which is why this informal group is going rather than all the knights. He won't agree with what we are doing, so whatever you do, don't let him catch on. The story is..." Here he paused, unsure. I decided the prince needed a little help concocting a lie.

"Arthur decided he wanted to hunt somewhere far away from Camelot so he could bring back something exotic and unusual, like a... yellow crested billitrough. He's taking you all with him for protection, in the case of the knights, for his everyday needs in the case of Merlin, me because he thinks I need to spend a little more time in the great outdoors, and Gwen because she's my 'maid'. The 'hunting region' is not far off from Actica, which we won't tell Uther, so we can hunt down Cairon and possibly bring back his head; we won't tell Uther that either. When we come back without a crested billitrough, we'll just say we couldn't find one because they're really rare." Everyone stared at me in shock. Merlin was the first to speak.

"So... what exactly is a yellow crested billitrough?"

"No idea. I made it up. But it's very rare, which is why we come back empty-handed."

"Obviously it's very rare," Arthur muttered. "It only lives and exists in your head! Which, I might add, is extremely -" I glared at him, cutting him off.

"Well, this hunt technically exists only in Uther's head, so why not the prize too?" Arthur sighed in resignation.

"Do you have a better idea?" I demanded.

"I wish. But no, I don't," he replied. Then we started planning and preparing. Soon, everyone knew what he or she was responsible for. Merlin ran off to finish his errands and start packing. The knights ran off to pack as well. I was about to run off myself when I noticed Arthur holding Gwen back. Feeling slightly guilty, but overwhelmed with curiosity, I decided to wait and watch. I scanned the area and found a nice pillar to hide behind.

"I'm sorry about dragging you into this," I heard Arthur murmur to Gwen.

"It's fine. Really. I would want to come anyway. I'd worry none of you men would listen to Hale's advice, and get yourselves into trouble."

"Hale's advice? This is the girl that impersonated a knight and -"

"Defeated him in front of nearly the entire kingdom. She also has the most experience in dealing with Cairon, so you really should listen to her." There was silence from Arthur for a moment, then he sighed and as I peeked around the corner I saw him pull Gwen into his arms.

"I just don't feel comfortable letting you go out there without knowing how to defend yourself." Wow. Who knew the prince was such a softy?

"I'll be fine," Gwen said firmly.

"If you say so," Arthur replied, but I could tell he still wasn't reassured. Gwen stood on tiptoe and kissed him gently, causing me to quickly scoot back behind my pillar to give them a little privacy.

"Don't worry about me. Just know you're doing the right thing." I'm not sure what happened after that because I left to prepare, but it wasn't too hard to figure out.

* * *

><p>The next day was absolute chaos. Hundreds of people stood outside in a long, winding line trying to get an audience with the king. I thought maybe there was a drought or famine, but the actual answer was ten times more shocking. As I walked into the Great Hall, a village woman and her two small sons were on their knees crying about something. Uther sat on his throne, looking more irritated than ever. I could barely understand what they were saying.<p>

"What's going on?" I asked a knight who happened to be passing by at the moment.

"These are villagers from the outskirts of Camelot. They said that a sorcerer is attacking them. They describe him as being of foul smell, and looks like death himself." _Cairon_.

"And the other villagers?" He nodded.

"The same." Cairon was destroying other kingdoms as well? Then why did he let all of these people go? I was going to find out.

* * *

><p>I rushed out to find either Merlin or Arthur. I would go to Merlin first. I didn't even knock when I arrived at Gaius' door. I walked into the room and ignored Gaius, who asked me what was going on. I knocked on Merlin's door. I almost knocked it down when Gaius told me that Merlin wasn't in. I felt silly, but thanked him.<p>

"Where are you going, young lady?" Gaius and I had grown closer during those few days I was locked in my room.

"I have to find Merlin!"

"Is it something so urgent that he needs to be disturbed now?"

"Cairon has attacked villages in Camelot, and all of the remaining people are lining up outside the castle doors asking for an audience with the king! So _where is Merlin_?" Without any further questions, Gaius told me that I could either find Merlin in the Place of Arms, or at the horse stables. I saluted him as I left, and I could hear his muffled chuckle. I ran to the horse stables first, because that is where he would most likely be. When I saw nothing but horses, I ran to the Place of Arms. All of the people I wanted to speak to, including Merlin, were there.

"Let's go, boys." They looked kind of confused, and then they all realized what was going on as I ran towards the stables... everyone except Merlin of course.

"What is going on?" Merlin asked breathlessly. Obviously, he was still clueless.

"Do you see all of those people?" I pointed to the long line that stretched through the market and back. "They were attacked by Cairon."

"All of those people?" Arthur asked.

"Yes!" I cried, tired of running and yelling at the same time. We ran into the stables, startling a few horses. I saw that the horses were already saddled up and ready to go. Arthur, Merlin, Gwaine, Lancelot and Sir Leon all got on a horse. I was about to mount a horse myself, but Arthur stopped me.

"No, you'll be riding with Gwaine."

"But why? I can ride by myself!" I was still mad at my heart for skipping earlier.

"Because," he said in an annoyed voice, "We're going to need that horse for someone else."

"Who? Gwen?" I retorted. Then from behind us I heard a deep voice answer my question.

"No, us." When I turned around, quite a sight met me. A dark, well-built young man with short-cropped hair was the one who had spoken. He wore simple clothes, but I could see Camelot's crest on a shield he carried. Next to him was a man of the same build, but was fair in skin and hair. He wore the armor of a knight of Camelot. Behind them was Gwen. I wondered why she was with them, but then I realized that the dark-skinned man must be her brother.

"Who are you?" I asked, rather rudely.

"I am Elyan," Gwen's brother pointed to himself, "And this is Percival." Percival just nodded his head, and didn't say a word. So of course the men took my horse. Merlin brought out an extra horse for Percival to ride on. I was about to ask where Gwen was going to travel, but she climbed on with Arthur before I could even ask. I was going to jump on with Merlin, but he put out his hand to stop me.

"Nope. I believe your seat has already been reserved." He pointed towards Gwaine and smirked. "Off you go!" He gently pushed me away. I rolled my eyes and walked over Gwaine's horse and jumped on. As we rode out, we passed the countless number of villagers and peasants who had traveled from all different kingdoms, seeking refuge from my uncle.


	13. Chapter 13: The Quest

**Chapter 13: The Quest**

Soon, we were out of Camelot and beginning our long journey. Gwaine seemed to be enjoying the fact that every sudden movement would force me to cling onto him so as not to fall off the horse... although it's not that far down. Maybe they'll let me switch horses if I do, I thought. Merlin cut me off in mid-thought as he caught a glimpse of my not-so-happy expression. I groaned inwardly as he began to speak.

"Aw, don't worry Hale. We still have plenty more miles to travel; you won't have to get off anytime soon." He chuckled as his horse passed us, not allowing time for me to respond. Gwaine looked back at me and winked. My hand tightened around my sword and my eyes narrowed while I glared at the back of his head.

"Clotpole," I muttered through clenched teeth and Gwaine laughed loudly. "I don't see why you find this funny." I grumbled.

"I don't see how you aren't enjoying this," he shot back, smirking.

"Well, aren't we rather fond of ourselves?" I mocked.

"Don't worry _princess_, we'll be at our first stop soon enough," he teased, emphasizing the word princess. I yanked his hair.

"Ouch." He rubbed the back of his head and I smiled.

"Oops..." I said sardonically.

We continued riding through the forest for what felt like hours. Merlin hummed to himself non-stop, causing Arthur to throw a piece of bread at him from his bag in annoyance. Merlin simply caught it, and smiled with his mouth full. I giggled at him and continued playing with Gwaine's hair, most of which had become tangled. I honestly wasn't sure if he was really as stupid as he acts and simply hadn't noticed me pulling at his hair for the past hour, or if he had just chosen to ignore it.

"I'm not going to be able to get those out, am I?" he asked. Freaky.

"Nope," I replied cheerfully, popping the "p". He laughed as he shook his head.

"Watch yourself, princess," he taunted. I smiled and knotted his hair some more. His eyes widened as he felt them tighten.

"Oh, darn." I smiled innocently as he turned around to face me. He lifted his eyebrows.

"My fingers slipped?" He chuckled a little.

"Maybe you should ride with Merlin..." he joked.

"That's what I said in the beginning, but of course no one listens!" I said bitterly.

"NO!" I heard a shout. "No-no-no-no-no! No way am I going to let her ride with me!" Merlin cried, looking scared at the mere thought.

"Why not?" I asked, sounding like a child.

"I'd rather not have my hair braided. Thanks for the offer though. Good luck, Gwaine!" He laughed as he rode off.

"Gwaine, can you tell Merlin to -"

"Nope," he said, cutting me off. He popped the "p", imitating me from before.

"Ha-ha," I said sarcastically while folding my arms across my chest. Merlin wishes he had hair long enough for braids.

"How much longer?" I groaned as I rested my forehead on Gwaine's back. I hated the tiny part of myself that enjoyed it.

"Just a few more miles, since it's getting dark," Arthur replied quietly. I looked up and saw Gwen leaning on his back with her eyes closed. I smiled and again rested my forehead against Gwaine's back.

* * *

><p>Soon, we all stopped and got down to set up for the night. Arthur assigned tasks for everyone to do so that we could quickly set up camp and get sleep for another long day tomorrow. I yawned loudly and received a glare from him. He thinks he's so high and mighty. Well guess what, your highness? You can sleep on the soft dirt right alongside the rest of us, does that make you happy? I grabbed a blanket and dragged myself over next to Merlin. He grinned and tried to throw some dirt over me, but I threatened to steal his blanket so he didn't. The stars dimmed and everyone's voices died down as we all fell asleep.<p> 


	14. Chapter 14: The Return of an Enemy

**Chapter 14: The Return of an Enemy**

"Wake up, princess." I groaned. _Gwaine_. I shut my eyes tighter as Merlin stood and laughed. He attempted to tickle me so I sat up quickly.

"I suppose that could work too," Gwaine said, and I glared at the two of them.

"Good morning!" Arthur said cheerily as he walked by. I stood up and grumbled as I brushed the dirt off my clothes. A butterfly fluttered past my ear, tickling it. I impatiently brushed it away.

"Isn't she a lovely sight in the morning?" Merlin mocked. I punched his arm. Stupid warlock. Arthur walked away laughing.

I found a nearby river that I could bathe in. Before going in, I asked Gwen to keep watch; I didn't trust Merlin not to sneak up on me. Once I stripped my clothes off, I put my foot in the icy cold water. I flinched as I stepped in. I shivered and felt the goosebumps on my arms travel all over my body. I took a deep breath and dunked my head in the water. When I surfaced, I was gasping for air. The water was a lot colder than I thought. My whole body was turning numb, but I had to wash myself so I stayed. I scrubbed my hands and face thoroughly until I saw the dirt float in the river water. Wow, I didn't know how dirty I really was.

I was getting out and putting my clothes on when I heard rustling in the trees. I turned sharply to see who was there. It was probably one of those silly men. But when I looked to see who it was, I saw the red cloth of a cloak heading through the forest on the other side of the river. Who was that? None of the men wore that, and I'm sure Gwen wasn't wearing that either. Very frightened, I put the rest of my clothes on and ran towards our camp, grabbing Gwen along the way. The fear must have been evident on my face because Lancelot asked me what was wrong.

"As I was getting out of the river, I heard rustling in the woods, and I saw a crimson cloak head off in that direction." I pointed in the direction I had seen the red cloak heading. When I described what I saw, Arthur's eyes widened and he immediately spun around.

"It can't be," he whispered. Then he dashed off in the direction I had pointed. We all looked at each other for a minute, then we too ran off in pursuit.

"What is it, Arthur? Who is it?"

"Morgana! It has to be!"

We ran and crossed the river, getting all of our clothes wet. We slowed down once we got to the edge of the other side of the forest. All of us started to walk around and scout our surroundings for any signs that a person had been there. None of the leaves on the ground were overturned. We walked a little further into the forest, but soon we were ready to give up.

"Wait, look!" Gwaine held up a red thread that was caught in the bushes.

"Is this the color of the cloak you saw?" Arthur demanded.

"Yes."

"That looks like one of the cloaks that Morgana owned," Gwen said.

"We have to leave. Now." Arthur said.

"Why?"

"Because she is an enemy of Camelot and now there is a possibility she could be working with Cairon. If she tells him that we are coming, he might be able to stop us," Arthur said grimly. We all ran back and quickly packed everything up, throwing it onto the horses. I ran and hopped on behind Gwaine, not even bothering to argue or admire his braids. We rode harder than we did the first time. We had to get as far away from Camelot as quickly as possible. We rode for hours before stopping at a small clearing in a forest. Gwen was about to fall off her horse in exhaustion, so Arthur helped her dismount and told her to lie down and rest.

"Absolutely not!" she exclaimed. "I'm not going to sit around doing nothing while the rest of you set up camp!" I was really starting to like Gwen. The girl was practically swaying on her feet, but she still wanted to help.

"Come on, Gwen, I think it's better that we both rest. The men can just do the work for us since they think we are incapable of pulling our own weight," I teased. Gwen finally agreed to at least sit down. I sat next to her, opened my bag and took out a small loaf of bread. I split it and gave half to her. She accepted and nibbled on it. In between watching the men set up and chewing on her food, she told me about her life, and how father was executed for being "associated" with magic. So that was one thing we had in common. No fathers. Then she went on to talk about recent events, but she never once mentioned Arthur so I saw it as my duty to bring it up.

"So, I see you and Arthur are close."

"Close? What do you mean?" she asked with a stifled laugh, starting to blush.

"I've seen the way you two look at each other, not to mention I caught you two kissing the other day." As I was talking, Gwen's blush deepened until she finally gave in.

"Okay, okay! I admit I do have some feelings for him. Okay, maybe a lot of feelings," she said, noticing my raised eyebrows. "But we can't express it in public. You know he's a prince, and I am just a maid -"

"What are you two ladies doing over there? Gossiping about us handsome devils who are doing all your work for you?" Merlin interrupted, walking over to where we were. I snorted.

"You wish," I retorted. "We could have set this is up much faster than you."

I guess everyone heard what I said because Elyan asked, "Do I detect a challenge?" All the men dropped what they had in their hands and told me to set it up myself. They all sat down where Gwen and I were and watched us as we tried to put the rest of the camp together. As we struggled to get the packs off the horses, I could hear the men's muffled laughter. Finally, they broke down and lost it completely. Merlin was practically rolling on the ground. Lancelot was the only one not laughing like a maniac; he just stood there smiling. I think he had faith in us... at least before we tried to take the packs off Arthur's horse.

"No! Don't -"

The warning came too late. The horse reared and pawed at the air. I hadn't realized Arthur's horse was so feisty and temperamental.

"Gwen, look out!" I shouted, lunging to push her out of the way. My relief lasted only a moment because the next thing I knew, there was a sharp pain on the back of my head and then darkness.

**_END PART ONE_**


	15. Chapter 15: Gwaine

_**PART TWO**_

**Chapter 15: Gwaine**

"Hale? Hale! Speak to me!" a voice cried distantly. I groggily opened my eyes and saw eight anxious faces peering at me. My friends sighed in relief when they realized my eyes were open.

"Whasagoinon?" I mumbled, and then winced. My head felt like it was being pounded with a cleaver.

"Don't get up!" Gwen said worriedly as I tried to lift my head to see everything. That was a bad idea because the searing pain only got worse. As I fell back, I heard Gwen giving instructions to all the men. I watched as everyone did as Gwen told them to without question. Even Merlin was unusually silent and helpful.

"... Gwaine, stay here with her while I get my supplies." He nodded dutifully as everyone dispersed. He sat closer to me and took my hand. I squeezed it tightly to distract myself from the pain in my head.

"How bad is it?" Gwaine asked, craning his neck to look at my face.

"Uh..." I thought about making a smart remark for a moment, but quickly gave up. "Hurts too much to think. What happened to me anyways?"

"The horse kicked you in the back of your head. It knocked you out instantly." Ouch. Absentmindedly, I began fiddling with my necklace, which Gwaine noticed.

"Why do you always do that?" I saw that he was looking at my necklace.

"Oh. This," I said in a very soft voice. "It was a gift from someone who was... very close to me."

"It's that boy who saved you from the fire, right?" he asked. I stayed silent. He frowned. "But if they're not close to you anymore, why keep it? It's just a necklace; why would you hang on to that silly thing?" He was starting to sound like King Hadrian. Maybe it was the blow to the head, or maybe all the events since Cairon attacked were catching up to me, but whatever it was, I just lost it. I was tired of carrying this secret. It hurt to yell, but it felt good to let those words escape my lips.

"Maybe because I loved the boy who gave it to me!" I shouted. He was shocked obviously, because his grip on my hand loosened, but he didn't let go entirely. There was such a long, awkward silence that I wished I hadn't said that. I was aware of Gwaine's feelings for me, as much as I tried to ignore the fact.

"You loved him?" There was something in his voice I couldn't quite put my finger on.

"Yes, well, he did rescue me from the fire that killed my father."

"I never saw you as a damsel-in-distress sort of person." He laughed, still in shock. "So, that's really how you felt about him? I thought you two were just friends?" Now I was starting to become irritated. It didn't even occur to me that I'd never told him we were just friends.

"He thought we were. I tried to make that happen, but I couldn't deny my feelings any more than you can!" He looked hurt and a little embarrassed by that. There was another long, awkward pause.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that," I said regretfully.

"Don't be." He paused. "You should stop waiting for him." How _dare_ he?

"Why should I stop? He promised me he would come back and I know he will, I know he's out there! I know he still thinks about me. I know he still cares..." Now I was just rambling.

"Of course he does," he said very distantly. Oh, so now he was psychic?

"And how would you know?" I demanded. He didn't answer. "Are you just trying to pacify me so that I'll shut up? Because if you are -"

"Hale," he interrupted me. "Calm down. I'm not trying to pacify you. I... well..."

"Know? How could you possibly know what that boy thinks about?" A thought suddenly occurred to me. "Are you...?" Gwaine looked at me with a strange, burning excitement in his eyes that I had never seen before. "Friends with him? Do you know him at all?" The excitement in his eyes faded as soon as I said that.

"Yes, I suppose," he murmured. He seemed disappointed, but why? As much as I wanted to find out about the boy, I could tell Gwaine didn't want to talk about him.

"Are you alright?" I asked. I wondered if I had said something to hurt him.

"It's just..." he whispered. I waited for him to continue, but he stayed silent. Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer.

"What is wrong with you? Ever since I mentioned the necklace, you've been really quiet. I'm the one with a major head injury, so it's okay if I'm a little out of it, but this is weird for you." My tone became gentler as I continued, "Are you sure you're okay, Gwaine?" My saying his name seemed to wake him up. He looked at me with an expression I couldn't quite identify.

All of a sudden, Gwaine pressed his lips to mine. Under normal circumstances I would have resisted, but this confirmed my latest fear: I had secretly fallen for him, although I hated to admit it to myself. I felt my body rise, and the pain in my head vanished as he continued to kiss me. His lips were soft against mine, and his hand rested gently on my cheek. I think he was afraid my head was so fragile it would break if he kissed me too hard. He didn't have to worry about causing me pain though; as soon as his lips met mine, my brain just shut down.

We abruptly broke apart as we heard footsteps nearing us. We saw Merlin carrying some wood (which were really twigs). When he came up to us, he was muttering under his breath as usual. I wondered if he had an imaginary friend or something that he liked to talk to. He looked at us and stared. I guess my face was bright red, and Gwaine and I were both still breathing unevenly.

"Uh - I think I hear Arthur calling me. Coming Arthur!"

"Oh, save it Merlin. Is that supposed to be firewood? It took you that long to gather all those twigs? Let me help you out." Gwaine got up and left to look for more wood. He challenged Merlin that he could gather a lot more _wood_ in a shorter amount of time than him. I was relieved that he was gone. It was weird; after meeting Gwaine, I felt guilty about the other boy. I was excited to hear that they were friends, but something wasn't right. I decided to try to worry about one thing at a time, and the only thing I had to worry about now was that Merlin was never going to let me live this down.

"Soooo, what happened in my absence?" he asked mischievously. He was standing with his hands in his pockets, looking oh-so-innocent, but I knew better.

"Please don't start this, Merlin." Merlin pursed his lips. I sighed. I felt like I did that a lot lately. "I think Gwaine may know the boy who gave me the necklace." Merlin's ears perked up in interest.

"Really?" I tried to nod, but all of the pain rushed back. I rubbed the back of my head and yelped when I saw the crimson blood on my hand; it was sticky to the touch. Merlin immediately dropped to my side and applied pressure to the back of my head.

"So that's it?" I was about to tell him, but I decided that I would keep our kiss a secret. I was still really confused about my love life and wasn't ready to talk about it with anyone else.

"Yes," I whispered, and grimaced. My head was still spinning from Gwaine's kiss and the possibility that he knew the boy. Since my father died, I'd pretty much given up on love. It hurt too much to love something dearly, then have it snatched from you. I went through it with my father, then the boy, then King Hadrian and his sons. At that point, I decided I would never love again. Apparently fate had other ideas.

Soon, the rest of our little group came back with herbs, buckets of water, and some rabbits. Suddenly, all of the blood loss caught up to me, and I started to feel dizzy and weak. Everyone was talking to me, but the words were inaudible. I could feel my eyes starting to roll back in my head, and soon I was out.

* * *

><p><em>My hair curtained in front of my eyes as I scanned the trees lining my vision. The leaves rustled and my body tensed as I turned. My head spun and my knees buckled beneath me. My name was being shouted; the voice sounded panicked. My eyes slammed shut as I fell to my knees. Everything slowed, and my name was dragged out into a shrill scream. I felt numb; my breath caught and I sank to the floor. The forest was silenced and I found myself wishing for the noise. This emptiness, this eerie silence could only come with one conclusion. I didn't want to know, I couldn't. Everything around me faded into a deeper darkness than before.<em>


	16. Chapter 16: The Healing Village

**Chapter 16: The Healing Village**

Arthur was worried about my injury and insisted that we wait a few days to let me heal some more. Of course, I refused.

"Let's just travel to the nearest village and rest there. There may be someone who could help us." Merlin had some bright ideas, but this wasn't one of them. I doubted we would find a physician, let alone a healer (as in magic-using), but I would do anything to get out of the forest for a while.

We traveled a few miles south to where there were a lot of "healing villages." Healing villages were talked about among housewives and were of myth; the chief of a healing village and his people are supposedly highly skilled in the art of healing. None of us knew if they really existed, but we took the chance and searched anyway. This part of the land was starting to get rocky, but nowhere near as rocky as Actica. This time when they told me to ride with Gwaine, I didn't hesitate, but I didn't let Merlin see my pleasure. How quickly circumstances can change. Before, I did all I could to avoid "encouraging" him, and now I was perfectly fine with riding for hours practically glued to his back. They used one of Gwaine's extra shirts that Gwen had ripped to make a head wrap for me. It was tight on my head, but at least the rag kept the wound from bleeding out. My head throbbed as the horse continued to trot south through the meadows.

We finally saw signs of a village on the horizon, just as the sun was setting. As we neared it, we saw that the village only had fifteen house-type buildings. They were all made out of wood, and maybe six people would be able to fit in each house. You could smell the food a few yards away from where we were standing.

"Maybe they could help us," Merlin suggested.

"Well, they're going to have to," Arthur said as he looked at me, worried. Gwen gasped. I guess this was the first time she had looked at me since we left the forest because her eyes were about to pop out of her face.

"She looks too pale. We have to go _now_!" she cried. We galloped to the village, which was a bad idea since my head ached all the more because of it. It was dusk when we arrived, and I could see the sun setting behind the twin peaks that I used to see from my bedroom window in Actica. Things happened so fast in the past couple of weeks that just thinking about everything made me weary.

As we approached the village, we were able to see the people more clearly. There were a few grimy looking women running after their children, who chased each other. Chickens clucked as they strutted in front of houses, eating something off the ground. As we slowly rode through the village, we got vacant stares from the villagers.

We rode until we found a more finely decorated wooden house. A red flag fluttered gently on a wooden pole in front of the house. It had a black otter that looked as if it was swimming in the water. The sign of a water creature was said to mean that you were in a healing village. We all exchanged glances (well, everyone else did - my head hurt too much) then Arthur dismounted and knocked on the door. Everyone else got down but me. I was too weak at this point to move. I was literally about to pass out. Gwaine tenderly helped me down and carried me in his arms to the door. My vision was starting to blur slightly.

Arthur knocked again, louder this time and with more urgency. The door swung open mid-knock. There before us stood a hunched over old man, maybe in his sixties. He had a long, scraggly beard that was graying. The top of his head was bald, but around it tufts of curly hair still clung to his head. What shocked me the most about this skinny old man was that he was wearing hardly any clothes. It was as if he threw a cloth over himself and declared himself to be properly dressed. He peered up at us (he was a little on the short side of life) and asked us something in a foreign language. I guess our blank looks gave us away, so he asked instead, "Why do you come? Why do you bother us?" Then he noticed my apparently deathly pale face and raised his eyebrows. He motioned for us to come in. I closed my eyes so I didn't see where we were going, but when I opened them again, I was lying on a rough blanket on the floor. This was not comfortable. All around were potions, as well as a mortar and pestle with crushed herbs, and hex signs on the walls. That was all I saw though; I passed out soon after. The last thing I saw was Gwaine's worried face asking me if I was okay, and in the background I heard the raspy voice of the old man beginning an incantation. I couldn't help thinking that this was going to cause a lot of problems with Arthur before seeing black.

* * *

><p><em>I was back in the house again, with the boy. He was staring at me in worry, asking me something but it sounded like I was under water so his words were muffled beyond comprehension. Something about this gave me a feeling of uneasiness, and I was reminded of that first nightmare in Camelot. Suddenly, the boy melted into Merlin, who just stood there and asked me if I wanted any water. Then he melted into Arthur, who was yelling orders to start a fire. Arthur turned into Lancelot, who was typically silent, then he morphed into Gwen, who offered me some herbs, and finally she melted into Gwaine. When I tried to focus on him, I noticed there was a resemblance between him and the boy. He looked lost and alone. I tried to shout, "I'm sorry!" but he just shook his head and melted into the dark-haired woman from before. She was chanting something, and I thought I could make out my name. Again. Then she turned into the other lady who smiled directly at me; a wise, sweet smile tinged with sadness. She somehow seemed more real than the others. In a voice as clear as crystal she said, "Time is running out. Find us, sister." Then she turned into a butterfly and flew away. Finally, everything faded to black.<em>

* * *

><p>My eyes felt like they were glued shut as I tried to bring myself back to life. But as I kept my eyes closed, I realized that I felt really good. The pain in my head was gone, and it was like all of the blood I lost was back in my body and then some. I opened my eyes, yelped and threw myself backwards when I realized there was a face literally<em> in my face<em>. Then I relaxed when I realized it was Gwaine.

"Why are you so close?"

"I'm not." He sounded puzzled. When everything came into focus I realized my eyes were playing tricks on me.

"Why are you here?" He just shrugged.

"Well, I don't know what that old man did, but it worked like a charm." I grinned. He smiled, but only a little. "He did that very quickly - how long was it? A few minutes, an hour?"

"You haven't opened your eyes in three days." Three days?! But that dream felt so short. I suddenly realized the others weren't with us.

"Where are Merlin and everyone else?" He nodded towards a small window that was above my head. I cautiously got up, still not sure how my body would react to movement. I looked out to see a crowd of people laughing and dancing.

"What is going on?"

"Nothing. They're just having fun." He sat there with a sullen expression. What was wrong now? Instead of asking him why he was so gloomy, I decided to ask him about what that man did to make me feel better.

"So what did he do?" He looked at me, irritation evident in every crease and dimple on his face.

"What did who do?" I knew he knew what I was talking about. He was just being difficult.

"That old man."

"Oh." Yeah right, you didn't just figure that out! "He, uh, performed some sort of magic spell on you." That's right; I remembered now. But wait a second. Prince Arthur was against magic. The man wasn't there, and I didn't see him in the crowd of people. Was it possible that Arthur had killed that man?

"I am right here." As if reading my mind, the old man came from around the corner holding two piping hot cups of tea. He gave one to me and sat down next to Gwaine with the other in his hand.

"It's not good to wear a frown like that. Gives you wrinkles, and your face will stay like that." Gwaine frowned even more. The whole time I stared at the strange old man in wonder. I was brimming with questions to ask him.

"How did you do it? What did you do to make me heal so fast?" Gwaine looked annoyed again; I had just asked him the same question, but I wanted more details.

"Nothing," the old man replied.

"Nothing? How is that possible? I heard you chant an incantation."

"No incantation. It was the ancient language of my people. I just asked for good luck." Good luck? What kind of magical healer was this? He was mad obviously.

"But surely you must have done something, because I have fully healed."

"Yes, and no."

"What do you mean?"

"I did do _something_. I asked for good luck." I looked at him, my jaw almost dropping in amazement. This man healed me just by asking for luck? I still couldn't get over that.

"Well, what is the no?"

"I have not healed you yet. Drink and be healed." This man was insane. My head wasn't bleeding anymore... was it? I drank the tea, to my dissatisfaction. Just as it touched my lips, I spat it out, all of it ending up on Gwaine.

"Sorry, sorry!" I cried, looking around for a cloth. His eyes darkened, and he got up to leave. What was with him? When Gwaine left, I turned my attention back to the old man.

"Well, whatever you did thank you -"

"Galaeus."

"Thank you."

"No. You thank me for the wrong thing."

"I'm sorry?" I asked. This man was very confusing.

"You are thanking me for something I didn't do." I looked at him blankly. I was completely lost as to where this was going.

"Drink," is all he said. I gulped down the tea; it was no longer hot. It was sweet, but not too sweet. "You thank me for healing your head. I did not do that."

"So what did you heal?"

"You drink the tea. That will help you with those dreams of yours." What?! How did he know about my dreams? I was too scared to ask, so instead I asked him about the healing of my head.

"You healed yourself." And he drank the last drops of his tea.


	17. Chapter 17: The Light in the Water

**Chapter 17: The Light in the Water**

As if on cue, Merlin walked in before I could ask any questions about what Galaeus just said.

"Hale, come look outside." He was smiling and panting at the same time. Before I could decline the invitation, he grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the house. I looked back and saw Galaeus still sitting on the rug, watching me with an unfathomable expression.

The people were dancing in a big circle clapping and jumping. "Look!" Merlin pointed to where a very pretty young woman with flowing golden hair was twirling gracefully around in circles in the middle of a crowd, laughing and waving a scarf through the air. She wasn't the only one in the middle of the crowd, though. Right there beside her was Gwaine, laughing and smiling and just in general acting like the complete opposite of the Gwaine that I had woken up to. I tried to deny it, but I couldn't suppress a twinge of jealousy.

"Is that all you wanted to show me? What, do you think she's pretty?" I asked Merlin, attempting to disguise my envy.

"Hmm? Oh, no, well, I mean, she's very pretty but no one is as beautiful as you." He laughed jokingly, but I knew he just trying to make me feel better.

"She's not your type?"

"No." He paused. "There was, but..." I looked at him sadly.

"You never found her again?" It sounded eerily similar to my love life.

"No, I found her all right," he said grimly. "Found her, then lost her. I stayed with her when... until she died. And then she came back, but it's... complicated." I stared at him in horror and pity. Poor Merlin. He was so sweet and harmless he didn't deserve that.

"I'm... I'm so sorry... I didn't -"

"It's okay. Because I found out she didn't truly leave me," he continued on a cheerier note that made the whole situation seem like a joke. I didn't even want to ask.

"Who is she?" I asked, nodding towards the dancing girl.

"Oh! That's Gizelle. Gaeleus' daughter." She looked young, maybe only two years older than me. She was shorter than average height, so it made her hair look longer because she was closer to the ground than most of us. She had freckles on both cheeks and deep brown eyes. Her eyelashes were thick and long. Her smile was heavenly as she laughed and danced in a circle. She held Gwaine's hand as he twirled her around until she got really dizzy and collapsed in his arms. They looked at each other and laughed. I could tell that there was definitely a bond between the Brown-Eyed Beauty and Gwaine. I hated myself for it, but I couldn't help giving the pair the evil eye. I guess Merlin noticed.

"You're not jealous, are you?" he asked, half teasing. I gave him a hasty smile and quickly reassured him that I was not, in fact, jealous at all. The truth of the matter was, however, that I was lying to him as well as myself.

* * *

><p>I insisted that I was fine and able to journey on, but everyone else decided that I needed a few more days to rest just in case I had an injury I wasn't aware of. I tried to point out that the more time we wasted in this village, the more time Cairon had to gain power, but everyone ignored me. Merlin put it in simple terms.<p>

"You can't exactly save people if you're dead from head trauma," he told me when I tried to bring up my Cairon arguments. That effectively ended the conversation.

We stayed a good week at least. The people were wary at first, but when we proved that we were willing to work for food and shelter, they gradually began to accept, and in some cases, like us. Lancelot got his very own gaggle of girls who giggled and whispered when he helped with any of the physically exhausting work. Lancelot was so kind he didn't have the heart to say anything, and he is the only man I know who I knew didn't particularly enjoy that kind of attention. He also seemed to be especially concerned about my head. He was constantly checking in on me to make sure I wasn't feeling sick or something. It was sweet, but annoying at the same time. Everyone else did the same thing, and soon some of the villagers started to follow suit. Merlin, thankfully, didn't treat me like a fragile flower that was going to droop any minute; he just treated me like normal. Gwaine, however, acted like I didn't exist. He would only talk to me if I talked to him first, but if, say, I bumped into him, he would just continue walking. He also seemed to be growing close to Gizelle. They always seemed to be together. I would see them walking around together, doing chores together, dancing together... the list went on. They were constantly teasing each other and whispering to one another. What hurt me most was the fact that Gwaine seemed so happy with her. Maybe our little kiss in the forest hadn't meant anything to him, but it meant a lot to me, and to see him enjoying the company of another woman so soon after that... it was truly painful. Of course, I tried to deny that and keep it locked away, but it always seemed to emerge at the most unwanted times.

One day Merlin and I were hunting down firewood together (I still wasn't allowed to do "overly strenuous" tasks) and I was fuming over the fact that Gizelle had kissed Gwaine's cheek a while ago. She batted her eyelashes flirtatiously and whispered something in his ear. I was almost positive she asked him to meet her later. She didn't stop there though; the little brat then walked past me and whispered viciously in my ear, "He's mine, dear," and walked away with a smug smile on her face. As I stomped over to our firewood pile, Merlin put his hand on my shoulder.

"What's wrong Hale?" he asked quietly. "Is it Gizelle? Gwaine? Both?" I sighed. I couldn't hide anything from him.

"It's... well, it's mostly Gizelle. I mean, she seems like a nice girl but... I can tell she's not. And I think she's hiding something. She's so good at acting nice in public, but acting extremely mean behind everyone's backs. It makes me wonder who she really is. Anyone who is that two-faced is someone I can't trust. It's not even like the situation with Cairon. At least he's honest and open about his cruelty; this girl is subtle and sneaky and dangerous!" I ranted on like that for a little longer, and Merlin, being the amazing friend he is, just listened as I poured out my frustrations. Gizelle sincerely troubled me, and not just because it seemed like she hated me. According to the village people, she had changed after a walk in the forest. I decided to confront Galaeus about this affair. I walked in on one of his meditative sessions, but didn't hesitate to interrupt him.

"I hear rumors in town about your daughter." I never said I was a master of subtlety.

"So have I," he said, eyes still closed.

"Well, aren't you skeptical?" He sighed and opened his weary eyes.

"I was when she was gone. My daughter had left to find some rare herbs for a potion that brings back sight to those who are blind." I was momentarily impressed by this, but remembered that I wanted to find out what really happened.

"How far did she have to travel to get these herbs?"

"She had to travel to the northern mountains and past the marshes. It was a dangerous journey, but my daughter had insisted on going. She left in early spring. The journey would have taken more than a fortnight to get there and a fortnight to come back."

"And?"

"She didn't come back until the flowers were fully boomed and the eggs were all hatched. She didn't come back until all of the fish laid their eggs in the streams, and the eggs had developed into full grown fish."

"Did you send people out to find her?"

"We couldn't afford to send any of our men out. If we sent out our strongest men, there would be no one to protect our village, but if we sent any of the other men out they would surely perish -"

"And that's why Gizelle was the one to go on that journey." Galaeus nodded grimly as I continued. "Your people are saying she changed."

"A significant change yes. She used to be kind and warm-hearted. Her dream was to set out and travel, but she knew her duty was to stay with her people and that's what she did. Now she is cold and bitter, but is still a thing of beauty. She spends most of her time in her room, or seducing men with her unfathomable beauty." My skipped a beat as I thought about her and Gwaine.

"So what do you think happened to her out there?"

"I think my beloved daughter left this village many moons ago. But my beloved daughter never came back." His eyes looked tired, and he told me to leave. Feeling slightly guilty for bringing back bad memories, I bade him good day and left.

I walked back to where the festivities were happening and reflected on his words. What did he mean his daughter never came back? She was dancing right in front of me. Some alarm was raised in me and my guard was up, then torn back down as I watched Gwaine twirl Gizelle around in a circle. People were chanting and clapping to the music. I looked over at Merlin, who smiled and waved at me, but I didn't return it. I didn't want to sit there watching Gwaine making goo-goo eyes at Gizelle and everyone being happy, so I walked to the tavern instead. I don't know what I was thinking; my feet just sort of carried me there. Along the way, I noticed two butterflies dancing together in the wind. I instantly turned away from them because it reminded me too much of Gwaine and Gizelle. I pushed my way through a crowd and found myself sitting on a stool while the tavern tender passed me a drink. I looked at it skeptically before I felt the cold glass against my palm as I gulped the drink down.

* * *

><p>I lazily banged my cup down on the table and looked at all the other empty cups. Huh. I hadn't realized I drank so much. I shrugged it off as I waved the tavern tender back over with a lopsided grin on my face. He put another cup in front of me and looked at me in concern. I put the glass to my lips and felt the cool liquid spilling down my throat. Everything started to blur. I heard the doors open behind me and turned around with a glazed look on my face. It was Gwaine. His eyes darted from my pathetic appearance to the empty cups scattered across the table. I looked away from his eyes and tried to bring the cup back up to my lips but my hand was shaking so much that it slipped from my grasp and tumbled down to the floor, soaking my shirt. I looked down angrily and called for another cup but Gwaine quickly ran over and shooed the guy away, scolding him for allowing me to drink so much. I swayed on the spot and Gwaine quickly grabbed hold of my arm. I just as quickly shoved him off while trying to maintain balance.<p>

"Hale, stop it," he said, frustrated by my lack of cooperation.

"Don't touch me!" I shouted at him as I continued to struggle with his hands.

"Hale..." he pleaded.

"Get off me. Don' touch me. Leave me alooone." My words slurred together as everything spun. I gripped the stool next to me as I felt Gwaine's hands on my shoulders again. He tried to grab my waist to keep me steady and I just cracked. My hand whipped through the air and I slapped him across the face. He stared at me in shock and hurt with his palm against his cheek. My eyes filled with tears as I took one last glance at his face, then I tore out of the tavern and ran down the street. I didn't know where I was going and I didn't care. My feet pounded against the gravel as my tears spilled over and I found myself on my knees gasping for air in front of a lake. I curled up and sobbed into my hands as the tears cascaded down my face and my body trembled. I couldn't take any more of this. I wouldn't. It wasn't just what had happened in the tavern with Gwaine that did it; it was everything else as well. My father, the boy, my second father... It was all just too much. I looked back at the lake, wiping the remaining tears off of my face. Gwaine didn't deserve them. I shakily stood and dragged my feet to the water's edge. I tossed my shoes to the side and felt the cold water tickle my feet. I think I smiled a little. It would all be over soon. It was so simple; why hadn't I thought of it before? I wouldn't be so trapped and alone anymore. I would be with my family again. I sighed longingly at the thought. I felt my legs moving deeper into the water until only my torso and head were visible. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath; the last one my lungs would ever know. I slowly exhaled and smiled as I lowered myself into the water.

* * *

><p>At first, everything was pitch black. It was like I had become nothingness. Then I saw something in the distance. The light was a bright obsidian color that glowed. It calmed me and almost put me in a sleep-like state, just as a lullaby would. I felt very serene, and all of the pain I had previously felt vanished. I felt like it was calling to me, and as it drifted further down to the bottom of the lake, I had to follow it. I wasn't swimming down to follow it; it was like I was being pulled by it, and I let it pull me. It felt so good just to let go. But I had been there too long, and my lungs started to burn; the light was dragging me down, and I wasn't about to fight it. I gave in and inhaled the water. I could feel the liquid filling my lungs as I began to choke. My throat burned and my body thrashed uncontrollably. I opened my eyes in a daze. My eyes drooped and my body sagged and I sank down deeper into the water. My thrashing ended and I felt happy. I didn't understand; my mind was finally at rest. My body was at ease. It was almost... easy. I closed my eyes and felt my back hit the bottom of the lake as I felt my lips form one last smile. I felt even more peaceful than before. I didn't even have to breathe, just drift in peace. In that moment, I knew I was dead.<p> 


	18. Chapter 18: All is Lost

**Chapter 18: All is Lost**

"Hale? HALE! Come on, don't do this to me...!" I heard a shout in the distance. Who was Hale? The person's shouts continued to get louder. I felt numb. The voice sobbed. I wanted to help them. I wish I could, but I couldn't move. They continued to sob and repeat the name Hale. Who was she? What happened to her? I tried to move... and nothing. Frustration flooded through me. I need to move! My finger twitched. Yes! I tried once more and succeeded in closing my hand. I coughed up the water that was still in my lungs and gasped for air.

"Hale?" the voice asked. My eyes slowly opened to reveal a familiar face.

"Merlin?" I croaked. My throat stung with the effort.

"HALE!" he shouted in delight before throwing his arms around my body, which lay limp on the ground. "You complete and utter IDIOT! What were you thinking?! I nearly had a heart attack!" I frowned.

"Why did you save me?" I tried to lift my head but it throbbed excruciatingly. His hair was tickling my chin.

"Lie down," he said and gently pushed my shoulder down. I groaned. His eyebrows furrowed. "Why wouldn't I save you?"

"Never mind." He didn't need to know. Merlin hugged me tightly, as if he never wanted to let me go.

"This is going to sound corny, but I really thought I lost you!" he exclaimed, his voice cracking. My heart was just starting to warm towards him when he added, "And as soon as I get over the fact that you're alive, I am going to murder you all over again for putting me - us - through this!" Us? Who else -?

"... I'm not the only one," he continued. "Gwaine's been worried sick, he was the one who told me you ran off. He would have come after you himself, but he seemed to think you ran off because of him." Suddenly, all my memories came rushing back, and my face flamed with embarrassment and shame as I remembered the last time I'd seen Gwaine.

"Where is -" I coughed. "Where is everyone?"

"They were all getting ready to go, but seeing as you are not well I-"

"No! We're leaving now. We can't waste any more time. Who knows how much damage Cairon has done?" That was one reason why I wanted to leave, but I had two other reasons as well. One, I didn't want Merlin to think that I was a wimp, and two, I'd had enough of this village's gorgeous girls and their lunatic fathers who could apparently read minds. We walked back to where the festivities were to grab Arthur and the rest. I was still dripping wet, and I tried to avoid eye contact with anyone (especially Gwaine) so that I wouldn't have to explain myself. I jumped on the horse before anyone could protest. It was Merlin's horse and he was about to complain, but I held out my hand and he jumped on as well.

"I don't feel comfortable with you steering this horse." I just rolled my eyes and chortled weakly. We set off again. I didn't even go back to say goodbye to Galaeus. Something that he said still bothered me. I made a mental note to talk to Merlin about it later. As we rode, I looked back and my heart dropped. I saw that girl riding on a horse with Gwaine. I turned back. It's okay; I didn't care.

* * *

><p>We rode until we saw another village, but the sight wasn't as nice as the healing village. Plumes of smoke filled the air, and you could hear screams and the pounding of running feet. The horses spooked, and Arthur fell off of his. He got up and pulled out his sword. We all did the same. He ran into the village and we with our horses stormed in through the smoke. I swung my sword, not really able to see anything. I swung my arm around so hard that I think I elbowed Merlin in the face. My horse cantered to a spot where the air was clear. We all stood there in a circle waiting for someone to come at us. But nothing happened. The smoke finally cleared and a devastating sight was laid out before us. Corpses lay everywhere. Houses were burnt down. Everything was destroyed. We heard gasping and a whimper from behind. Turning, Arthur walked over to a lady with her son. She was rocking him back and forth. Her tangled blond hair was matted with blood. She was shaking as she cradled her son. I got off my horse and went to her with Arthur. As we got closer, a wave of pity hit me. Her small son of maybe five years was very pale. His breathing was shallow. As we stood over her, she flinched.<p>

"Don't worry. We're not going to hurt you." The lady just shook her head profusely. "I promise." Arthur's kingly side was showing, and I felt proud to be on a journey with him. He leaned away from her because she was getting nervous. "Who did this?"

"It was... t-that m-ma-man," she stuttered as she tried to hold back her tears. "He killed my son!" She wailed. "They killed my boy!" Arthur just nodded in sympathy. "What did my son do to deserve this? He is just a boy." Her eyes glazed over and her mouth started to fill with spittle, and she continued to rock back and forth as she stroked his small forehead.

"Who did this?" Arthur asked more firmly than before. She turned to him with hostility burning in her eyes.

"Cairon!" She spat that name. My heart pounded heavily. He did this?

"When was he here?" I demanded, a little too loudly. I think I startled her.

"He didn't come. It was his men. They all used magic, and the Lady Morgana was here as well."

"When were they here?" This time I really yelled. I was tired of waiting for answers.

"Yesterday!" she screamed at me, and she started crying again.

* * *

><p>We held a proper burial for her son. That day, we set his body alight and we stood there with solemn faces as the flames grew, reaching for the sky. The boy's mother stopped crying and just stood there very still and focused on the fire. How could a man with so much power abuse it and use it against innocent people? We had to stop him. When the ritual was done, we turned back to the mother to say farewell, but she was already gone. I watched her go in sorrow. I hoped I would never have to feel the pain she was feeling; it's one thing to lose a loved one, another for a mother to lose her child. As everyone else began to leave, I watched the flames grow higher. I didn't realize I wasn't alone until I heard a soft voice behind me.<p>

"It's so sad," Gwen whispered, coming to stand next to me. I nodded. There was silence for a moment, then Gwen said, "Hale..." She paused, and then went on, "Why were you soaked when you came out of the forest?" She was talking about what had happened at the healing village. I almost died in a _healing village_. Oh, the irony...

"Oh, you know, I was just... uh... taking a swim to clear my head and -"

"Hale." I turned to look at her. She bit her lip, and said quietly, "You were trying to drown yourself, weren't you?" I was about to deny it, but then I saw understanding in the expression on her face, not horror. So, since I was feeling eloquent, I shrugged. Gwen sighed.

"You just thought that it was all too much, that there was nothing worth living for." She turned to the fire, and I saw an old hurt in her eyes. It made me wonder whether Gwen had ever thought life wasn't worth living anymore. As if in answer to my unspoken question, she said, "When my father was killed, I felt like I had nothing to live for. What made it worse was the fact that I knew he was innocent. He didn't deserve to be killed. He was everything to me; seeing his covered corpse was -" She closed her eyes, unable to go on. I had no idea what to say. She took a deep breath, then continued, "Merlin, Gaius and Arthur were unfailingly helpful and kind. Arthur was quick to assure me that I was in no way to be blamed for what my father had supposedly done, and Merlin and Gaius took care of me. The first few weeks were the worst; I just wanted it all to end. I wanted the pain to go away. What stopped me was the knowledge of what my death would do to my friends. After I began to learn to cope with my loss, I realized that life is too precious to throw away just because of one incident. Though in your case, I suppose it was more than one incident. Still, don't do anything rash just because of one hurt. That's all I'm saying." She smiled sadly at me and then left to join the others, leaving me by the pyre thinking about everything she had just told me.

That night, lying next to the fire, I lay awake thinking about everything that had happened. I eventually came to the conclusion that Gwen was right; life was too precious to be wasted. With that decision settled, I rolled over and fell asleep.

* * *

><p><em>I was in the forest again where I saw those two women that night in Camelot. I stood there waiting, but I didn't know why. Then they emerged like graceful swans from behind the trees. They both walked very regally, and ever so gracefully. They approached me with stern stares. They looked as if they were concentrating now. They got close to me, and their expressions changed from concentration to earnestness. The dark-haired lady with the pale skin and deep red lips spoke. Her voice was very melodic and childlike, but very commanding at the same time.<em>

_"Why haven't you found us yet, sister?" It was as if something was stopping me from talking or moving, because when I tried to shake my head, nothing happened. The blond lady looked at me with motherly concern._

_"You must find us, or else all is lost."_

All is lost_ echoed in my head as the dream faded._


	19. Chapter 19: The Dragonlord

**Chapter 19: The Dragonlord**

The day after the funeral, we rode out and continued on our journey. I had found a few horses in the village and claimed one as my own. We were getting closer to Actica. I didn't remember it taking me this long to get from Actica to Camelot before. Then again, we had stopped a couple times because I had gotten hurt. It irritated me that I was the one who held everyone up.

We rode for hours on end, and at one point I thought I heard Merlin grumbling something about his sore buttocks. I stifled a giggle. Merlin could make anyone laugh, no matter how dire the circumstances. We finally stopped when we reached Actica's border. We hadn't even come up with attack strategies. Before we set out, we didn't know what we were heading into, but we were determined to stop Cairon. Now that we were actually here, the problem seemed too big for eight ordinary people (and one secret sorcerer) to take on. Excuse me; eight ordinary people, a secret warlock, and a damsel in distress. The darkest, most powerful sorcerers were siding with Cairon. How could we stand a chance?

"How are we going to defeat a man who has so much power? We would all be dead in seconds!" I exclaimed. I retold the story of how he had knocked the sword out of my hand with a casual wave of his own. Arthur scratched his head in frustration. Gizelle, who, to my great annoyance, followed Gwaine around, spoke for the first time. She had a high-pitched, croaky voice that was nowhere near as attractive as her hair.

"Well then, what is the point of trying?"

"What is the point? There are hundreds of lives at stake here, and you ask what is the point of _trying_?" Everyone was astonished by my sudden outburst. Why were they so surprised? They knew this situation affected me more than most people because the one responsible was my _uncle_. "I'd rather die fighting than live knowing that there was a possibility I could have saved people from utter destruction. But you wouldn't know that, would you? You wouldn't know what it feels like to be responsible for people's lives. All you do is dance around and clap your hands all day. You don't know the burden I - we have, carrying the lives of _real people_ in our hands. Everyday souls are dying because we are taking too long. And you are slowing us down. So unless you have something useful to say, you shouldn't talk."

"Hale," Gwen whispered as I stormed off, deliberately avoiding Gwaine's gaze. I sat on the hill, the trees behind me. I looked over the valley where all of the small villages were. They seemed untouched. It was nice not to see destruction. The moon glowed high in the sky and the stars twinkled; they almost looked like they were dancing. The soft summer breeze rustled the tall grass I was sitting in, and the blades softly brushed against my skin. I tucked my knees under my chin as I observed the peace and quiet. My body was aching from the days that I had almost died, and I knew that I really needed to rest, but I was just too tired to sleep. I groaned and rested my head on my knees. Much as I hated to admit it, Gizelle had a point. We were hopelessly outnumbered. As my thoughts spiraled in a more depressive direction, I heard footsteps behind me. I instantly shot to my feet, sword out and ready for anything other than the sight of Merlin stumbling towards me, unusually solemn. I relaxed then plopped back on the ground. Merlin parked himself right next to me.

"What's up with you? You haven't been yourself lately..." I groaned and flopped back on the grass.

"How would you know what my so-called normal self is? _I_ don't even know who the real Hale is anymore." Merlin was quiet for a minute.

"All I know is that the real Hale wouldn't give up that easily." I stared at him, surprised. He shrugged. "That fine speech of yours seemed more directed at yourself rather than Gizelle." I sighed.

"Well... I mean, think about it Merlin! We're, what, seven or eight normal people attempting to stop one of the most powerful dark sorcerers of all time, and the only warlock with us can't reveal his identity for fear of being burned at the stake! This whole quest is completely pointless! We can try, but the chances of us succeeding are next to none. And for some reason or other, I keep slowing us down! I keep finding some way to get hurt or drunk or nearly killed or something! I may be going crazy as well!" My voice was steadily becoming higher and louder as I poured out my deepest fears to the one person in the world I knew for sure would understand. "I kind of lied to Gaius about the dreams; they're not exactly nightmares, but they keep coming back and they feel so _real_. It's always those same two women, the blond and the dark-haired one. They... they talk to me. Tell me things like _time is running out_ and _find us sister._ Sister?! What are they talking about? Heck, what am _I_ talking about? They're not even real! And then there's what Galaeus said to me after I woke up. He said he hadn't healed my head; _I had healed it myself_. That's insane! He told me all he did was ask for good luck and gave me something to help my dreams, which I don't even know how he knew about those in the first place and whatever he gave me isn't working. I'm still having those darn dreams! In fact, they're becoming more vivid. They're becoming more clear, more real than before." As I was ranting, I could see Merlin's face growing paler by the light of the moon. When I stopped to catch my breath, I asked him, "You know what's happening to me, don't you?"

"No. I swear, I don't," he added hastily when he saw my glare. "And I believe you. It's just... I don't think this is normal." I rolled my eyes.

"You think?"

"No, I mean I think this may have something to do with... well... magic." I stared at him, and then started laughing. It wasn't that what he said was funny; it was more a laugh of shock.

"Seriously, Hale. Think about it. You have strange, recurring dreams that feel real. A skilled healer tells you that he didn't do anything to heal your life-threatening injury. You survive an almost certain drowning. I don't know what's going on, but I can tell you it's not normal and possibly not human." I stared at him again, dumbstruck by his conclusions. The scariest part about all this was that I believed him. Something out of my control was messing with me, and neither of us had a clue what it was.

Merlin and I headed back towards where the others were waiting. Percival and Elyan were gone, probably to hunt and Lancelot was tending the fire. Arthur was talking in a low voice to Sir Leon. Gwen was doing something with some herbs and Gwaine was talking with Gizelle. I felt a twinge of regret as I saw Gizelle and remembered how I had shouted at her earlier. It wasn't her fault she grew up in a healing village, so how was she to know the cruel, harsh realities of the world? As we approached, Arthur and Sir Leon stopped talking and Arthur walked over to us.

"Ah, Merlin there you are! I need you to polish my gear." Merlin made a face at me and went to fulfill his duties. "And Hale..." I turned to face the prince. I was expecting an accusing look, or at least a stern one but instead I got a warm smile. "I think you should go to bed. You seem a little cranky."

"But..." I protested. Arthur held up a hand to silence me.

"No. Go to sleep. You've had, I believe, two near-death experiences within a week; you need to rest." I couldn't argue with a Pendragon. Their stubbornness was infamous throughout the land. So I stumbled over to a nearby tree, curled up at the base and was out in seconds.

* * *

><p><em>For once, the two women from my previous dreams weren't in sight. It wasn't the usual forest either; it was a clearing. As I looked around at the unfamiliar territory, I heard a sound behind me and whipped around. Huh. I guess I can move. I relaxed when I realized it was Merlin. He looked extremely worried though, which wasn't like Merlin at all. I tried to call to him, but my words stayed trapped in my throat. He didn't notice me, even when he walked right in front of my face. He must have been very deep in thought. Either that, or I was invisible. When he was at the edge of the clearing, he planted his feet and took a deep breath. Then he started shouting a language I didn't recognize. It sounded similar to the language the two women chanted in, but there was something more powerful about this. He waited for a few minutes, then his ears perked up. I could hear it too: the beating of powerful wings. I thought maybe he summoned a flying horse or something, but what actually arrived was even more breathtaking. It was a dragon. Last I'd heard they were all wiped out... except for one that Uther kept in his dungeons. I suddenly wondered if Merlin had freed the dragon from its ancient prison. The dragon bowed to Merlin - yes, a <em>DRAGON_ was bowing to _Merlin_ - and asked in a voice like fire, "You summoned me, young warlock?" Summoned him? Merlin summoned a dragon?! No wonder that language was so unfamiliar. But if Merlin could summon the dragon, that must mean he's a Dragonlord, which isn't possible since Uther wiped them all out during the Great Purge... right?_

_"Yes. We need your help."_

_"As usual. What is it this time, then?"_

_"I've made a new friend recently, a girl named Hale and -"_

_"Ah, let me guess. She's having strange dreams and you wish to help her with that." I, personally, was horrified that not only Galaeus but also this dragon knew about those, but Merlin didn't seem shocked in the least._

_"No. Well, not exactly... See, she was raised as a blacksmith's daughter until he died in a fire. The king of Actica took her in and revealed to her that he was her true father. When she came to Camelot, everyone assumed she was already princess, but she said that she had never officially been crowned because her uncle Cairon -" The dragon hissed at the name. "... crashed her coronation and killed her family. He threatened to do the same to everyone else in Actica, including her if she didn't leave. She had no choice but to leave, and so she saved our lives and we took her back to Camelot blah, blah, blah... But recently, Camelot has been receiving a lot of villagers from the outlying lands asking - no, _begging_ for help. Apparently, Cairon went a little wild in Hale's absence and slaughtered thousands of innocents. Now we're on a quest to throw him out of power but there are only nine of us - well, ten but Gizelle doesn't technically count - trying to compete with one of the most powerful dark sorcerers of all time. We don't stand a chance without your help." The dragon had listened to this story intently, and remained unchanged in his emotions. When Merlin finished, the dragon ruffled its wings then looked directly at Merlin._

_"Is there anything else you wish to tell me, young warlock?" How could it know there was more? Merlin shuffled his feet around, looking at the ground, then finally sighed._

_"Yes. At first, I thought Hale was just an ordinary girl with exceptional combat skills and really bad dreams. Now I'm not so sure. In her dreams, she's been seeing the same two women who are usually chanting - what did she say? - _Obrinde, cume, mec_. Hale thinks they're words of magic, and I think she's right. She also mentioned they talked to her, and when they were chanting, her name was mentioned a lot. A few days ago, she got kicked in the back of the head by Arthur's horse, so we had to find a healing village to help her. We did, and Hale pulled through. But tonight she told me that the healer said he hadn't done anything except ask for good luck and give her something to help her dreams, which didn't work. He told her that she had healed the injury to her head by herself. Normally, I'd think the man was trying to make her feel better, but he's highly skilled in the art of healing. Why would he lie about his talents to make his patient feel better? She also survived an almost certain drowning and is completely fine. I - I don't know if Hale is... normal anymore." I was horrified by what he had just said. I'd thought I was just overreacting, that I was just delusional. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who thought there was something wrong with me._

_"She is one of three." That totally took me - and from the looks of it Merlin - by surprise._

_"Uh, what?" he asked._

_"This girl Hale is one of three. The women she sees in her dreams are her sisters. The trio is the key to stopping Cairon and reuniting Albion. You must find the other two soon, otherwise all is lost." All is lost? Why does everyone keep saying that?_

_"But... Hale only dreams about them, she has no idea where they actually are. And they did send a ball of light into the forest in one of her dreams, but nothing ever came of it."_

_"She will have to pay further attention to those dreams of hers. The reason the healer's medicine didn't work is because those dreams came to Hale for a reason. They aren't dreams; they are visions. She must find her sisters, and together they'll have the power to stop Cairon."_

_"How? Do they all have supernatural skill with swords or something?"_

_"No, young warlock. I think you know exactly how they will try to stop Cairon." Merlin's face was extremely unhappy. It was nothing compared to how I felt._

_"She has magic, doesn't she?" It wasn't really a question; it was more of a confirmation of something he had suspected for a long time. The dragon nodded. "But how can you know this for sure? Maybe they are just dreams and nothing else?"_

_"She bears the mark of Arianrhod, the goddess of karma and retribution. That is my proof."_

_"Arianrhod? So that means that her father really wasn't King Hadrian or the blacksmith?" The dragon shook its head and told him that it didn't know that._

_"So she really can use magic, can't she?"_

_"Her sisters can use magic. So can she, whether she realizes it or not." Merlin bowed his head._

_"But how will she accomplish this? Arthur is against the use of magic and I can't exactly tell him I got my advice from a dragon. Besides, how do I tell her what needs to be done? It will be extremely shocking to find out she's not who she thought she was."_

_"She will have to sneak away and find her sisters quickly. As for the matter of telling her of her true nature, that won't be a problem."_

_"It won't? Why?"_

_"Because she already knows. She is here with us right now, in spirit." The dragon looked directly at where I was numbly staring in horror, processing everything I just witnessed._


	20. Chapter 20: Magic

**Chapter 20: Magic**

I woke up with a jolt. The shock of seeing the dragon staring at me woke me from my dream... if it was even a dream. Distantly, I thought I could make out the sound of powerful wings beating the sky, but I wasn't sure if that was my imagination or fact. As I looked around at my sleeping companions, I noticed Merlin was missing. I started to shake as I realized my dream must have been a vision, like the dragon said. Hearing all those statements answered a lot of my questions, as well as a few I hadn't thought of, but also raised many more in their place. If I wasn't Hale Bricius of Actica, then who was I really? Were those women my biological sisters? If so, how is that possible? My musings were interrupted by the sound of snapping twigs. I stiffened, then relaxed as I realized it was just Merlin. Merlin...

I stood up as he approached. When he saw me, he stopped dead in his tracks. I guess the expression on my face gave away the fact that I knew everything. And the resignation on his face destroyed any chance that it had all been a dream.

"Hale..." he began. I interrupted him.

"Merlin. Were you just talking to a dragon about our little problem?"

"Shh!" Arthur stirred in his sleep, but then found a comfortable position. His breathing slowed down as he continued to doze. Merlin looked down at his feet. We were whispering now.

"So you were there. Why didn't I see you?"

"I was having another dream, or vision or whatever. I saw you and the dragon talking. I heard everything." He continued to look at the ground, then sighed and looked back up at me.

"I'm so sorry Hale. I knew there was something about you, but I had no idea it was this... extreme."

"It's not your fault," I said resignedly. "So... how am I supposed to find my... sisters?" I was going to have to get used to calling the two stalkers that. "Without Arthur suspecting what happened?" Merlin ever so helpfully shrugged. Perfect. "Merlin..." He looked at me, waiting for me to continue. "How is it possible that you're a Dragonlord?" He froze. "I thought they were all wiped out during the Great Purge?"

"Not all of them..." he whispered. "One escaped. His name was Balinor. Arthur and I searched for him when the dragon... tried to take his revenge on Camelot for being imprisoned for so many years. We found him, and before we left, Gaius told me that Balinor was my father." I stifled a gasp. "The power of a Dragonlord can only be handed down from father to son. So when Balinor died..." Merlin looked miserable as he was telling the story.

After he told me the story of his father's death, we tried to figure out how to convince the others to look for two magical beings.

"We can't give too much away. But we can't lie either. We have to tell them we got word that the only way to bring this man down is by finding the magical sisters who can."

"Well, you're good at spinning stories, aren't you Merlin? And Arthur trusts you, so you should tell them."

"Oh no-no-no-no! You're telling them. I am sure Arthur trusts you more than me." I rolled my eyes. Merlin was always full of excuses.

"You've done it before, haven't you? Gwen told me about the time King Uther married Lady Catrina, who was really a troll. You told Arthur who she really was, and he didn't suspect a thing. Why can't you do it now?"

"You're right! I already have a good story to tell him." He grinned.

"What is it then?"

He shrugged. "I can just tell him that I've heard of three magical beings that could possibly be more powerful than Cairon and his forces."

"But the word _magic_. How will he respond to that? He'll probably just reject this solution."

"Yes, but it's worth a try." I nodded, and sighed. This whole thing was a lot more complicated than I thought it would be. How could I be so powerful and not know it? Then something else occurred to me.

"Merlin, the dragon said that I had the mark of Arianrhod. I've never seen a mark on me."

"I forgot about that! You mean, you've never seen any kind of mark on you?"

"No. So maybe I am not one of the three sisters. But that still doesn't explain why I can't die no matter how hard I try." Merlin chuckled at my attempt at a joke. We sat there in the beautiful silence. I looked at all of my friends, who slept in a dreamless slumber. How lucky they were, not to be afraid of sleeping like I was. I looked at Gwaine and Gizelle, but mostly at Gwaine. My eyes scanned his face with so much covetousness that Merlin asked me the dreaded question.

"Was Gizelle the reason why you tried to drown yourself?" I opened my mouth but nothing came out. Nothing could. "I thought you didn't like Gwaine. I thought you were waiting for that boy?"

"I was, but then Gwaine kissed me. I thought everything changed between us."

"YOU SNOGGED HIM?!"

"Shush! And yes."

"So you lied to me?"

"What do you mean?"

"The other day when I asked what had happened while I was gone. You said the only thing that had happened was that he may know the boy."

"I technically didn't lie. I just didn't tell you the whole truth."

"So technically you lied?"

"No!"

"Liar!" he sang, and we laughed, forgetting everyone else was still sleeping.

"I still don't get why you almost drowned yourself." I stopped laughing, and looked down at the ground.

"At the healing village, when I woke up and Gwaine was there, he didn't look too happy. Then when you grabbed me and pulled me outside, I saw Gwaine dancing with that girl, and he looked really happy. It wasn't just him; it was everything else that has happened to me."

"Do you know why he may have been angry?"

"Well, before we, uh, kissed, we were talking about that boy. When I told him I loved the boy, he looked sad. Maybe he was just mad that I loved someone else?"

"Then why did he kiss you?" I just shrugged. The mind of a man was like uncharted waters: utterly unfathomable.

"Well, you don't need him! You've got me." He smiled brightly and I giggled as he tried to make me feel better. "So, back to business. Any idea as to where your sisters are?"

"We don't know if they are actually my sisters, but in my dreams, I keep seeing them in a clearing somewhere in a forest."

"Hey! Maybe that light they sent will try to find you and bring them to you."

"I saw a light when I was drowning, but it wasn't like the one I had seen in my dreams. There was something different about this one." Merlin looked at me questioningly.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know... it was this light," I struggled to find the words. "It was like this light didn't want to help me. It wanted me to drown. This light dragged me further into the water. It was also a different color. It was a purplish color. The light I see in my dreams is bright blue." Merlin looked at me for a few minutes as if he was still trying to digest the words I had just said. Suddenly, he jumped.

"What if that light's purpose was to drown you? The one in the water, I mean."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, I was just remembering that the last time we were near water we saw, or we thought we saw Morgana. Maybe she is trying to kill you?"

"But why would she - is it possible that she knows who I am?"

"Yes, and that she could be working for Cairon, and he just wants to get rid of you because he knows you're coming for him." I thought we had enough problems to deal with.

"Do you think Cairon knows as well?"

"Possibly. He's a powerful being, and all of those who possess magic can sense it if it's near them."

"Can you sense my magic?" He looked at me with dismay and confusion.

"No. But maybe you haven't got it yet?" he suggested, trying to make me feel better.

"Did you get your magic at a certain age?"

"No. I was born with it." I sighed. Everything was getting more and more frustrating.

"But you're not like the rest of us. I know it." With that, he laid down and stretched out next to his things. I walked to where the fire had burned out. I could see a small ember dying down. I stared at it for so long it seemed like it was getting brighter. It was getting brighter! In an instant, a small fire had started up again. I hadn't done anything but look at the fire. I looked to see if maybe Merlin was the one who did it. He smiled at me and mouthed something. What was it? He kept repeating it until I could finally read his lips. _You did it!_ I did it! I used magic to make a fire! But I didn't say anything, like I've seen Merlin do before. I rolled over next to the fire and watched as the sparks floated up in the air, and I giggled with glee. It felt so good to laugh. I continued giggling until my eyes watered and my stomach ached, and then I simply smiled as I fell asleep.

* * *

><p>We all sat around the fire, a new one Lancelot made, and ate our breakfast of beans and bread. Everyone had been very silent that morning. I sat next to Merlin, and tried to be as far away from Gizelle as possible. I felt really bad for what I had said yesterday, but I wasn't ready to apologize just yet. The small, pretty Gizelle sat right next to Gwaine. She and him were smiling and talking about something. My stomach turned over at the sight, and I lost my appetite. I tried to distract myself by kicking Merlin. Of course, I wasn't just doing it for fun. Earlier that morning, we argued about who would tell Arthur about our new strategy, and I had convinced Merlin to do it. Finally, he got really annoyed at my kicking and gave in.<p>

"Arthur, Hale and I have been talking and we -"

"You're not planning on getting married are you?"

"What? No!" I laughed.

"Well, even though you have a temper worse than a troll, you _are_ very beautiful." Oh, why did Merlin always say that? It was like having an older brother who loved to repeat things that made me uncomfortable. "But, um, that's not what I was trying to say. Hale and I have been talking -" Arthur's eyebrows were raised. "- about our strategy and approach to defeating Cairon."

"You talked to _Merlin_ about a military strategy?" Arthur burst out laughing.

"Listen, Arthur!" I said, taking on a more serious note, "A point was made yesterday that we don't really stand a chance against Cairon. Just the ten, well nine -" I eyed Gizelle, "- of us can't bring him down."

"So I was telling Hale a story Gaius had told me..." Arthur had a knowing look, and so did Lancelot.

"It has something to do with magic, doesn't it?" Arthur asked in a resigned tone.

"Yes, I'm afraid it does." There was something in Merlin's voice. Was it mockery?

"Well then, tell us," Arthur demanded, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Um... well, uh..." Merlin began awkwardly, not knowing how to start.

"Spit it out, Merlin," I whispered, nudging him. He gave me a sideways glare before continuing.

"He told me this story about these, uh, women. They have m-magical powers that are r-really powerful. When they use their magic together, they can be more powerful than Cairon and can stop him." Merlin took a deep breath, and looked at Arthur hesitantly. "If we find them, they can help us. We'd stand a better chance against Cairon." I smiled slightly at Merlin, grateful that he told Arthur. After this information was said, everyone stayed silent for a few minutes before Arthur spoke.

"How would we find them?" Everyone looked at him in shock.

"You mean... you _want_ to find them?" I asked excitedly. He sighed.

"You said it yourself, we don't have a chance against Cairon with just the nine of us. We need help, and if they are willing to offer their help, then I'm willing to..." He looked like there was a sour taste in his mouth. "_Overlook_ a few things." My smile grew.

"Great, let's go! We don't have time to lose." I stood up to leave.

"Do you honestly think it's wise to go looking for these witches? You're not even certain if they are actually out there. Or even where to look for them." My body tensed as I heard the voice. My eyes flashed in anger as I spun around to face the person who spoke.

"I'm sorry," I spoke, sounding the least bit sorry. "I do not remember asking for _your_ input. We have no other option but to look for these women, unless we want to go to our deaths. So if you'll excuse me..." I threw my bag over my shoulder and sauntered off towards Merlin's horse. I felt someone come up behind me, but I didn't turn.

"Gizelle has a point you know." My fists clenched and I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to control my anger. "We don't even know where to look for these women; we don't even know if they exist!"

"We have to try, Gwaine." I spat his name through my teeth, still not turning to face him.

"Hale, I _know_ we don't have a chance again Cairon. I _know_ we could - would - die, but honestly Hale -" I interrupted him.

"Gwaine, just stop it. I'm tired of arguing with you, I'm tired of arguing with everyone. Just go back to Gizelle, since she's obviously right and I'm not." His mouth opened but I didn't let him speak. "You know what? I don't care, Gwaine. Think whatever you want, _do_ whatever you want. I don't care." I made my way to the other side of Merlin's horse, strapping everything on, not once looking at Gwaine. I heard him sigh, then his footsteps as he retreated back to the fire. I saw Merlin walking up to me. He turned to look at Gwaine as he stalked past Merlin, looking frustrated and slightly confused.

"Who spit in his beans this morning?" Merlin asked, smiling slightly, obviously trying to cheer me up a bit. I just looked up at him, and then back down at the straps that I was still tightening.

"I think they're tight enough, Hale. Don't hurt my poor horse," he said as he walked over to me and took my hands away from the straps. The horse looked at Merlin gratefully. I stroked its mane apologetically.

"I just - he can't - she needs to -" I stuttered, feeling like I was on the verge of tears.

"Forget him, Hale. Right now, we need to bring Cairon down. That's all you need to worry about. You can kill Gwaine later... assuming we don't die, at least." He laughed a little and I forced a smile. "I know you don't like Gizelle, and I know she shouldn't be here, but just ignore her."

"How can I ignore someone who is challenging the way I do things? How can I ignore someone who is constantly rubbing in my face the fact that she has something that I want, but can't have? How can I ignore that?!" I cried, slightly raising my voice at Merlin. He put his hands in front of him in surrender.

"I'm not saying you have to. I'm just asking you to try." He walked back over to the group to help pack everything up. We would leave as soon as we had something of a strategy prepared for finding the two sisters. I watched him leave, feeling guilty for getting angry with him. Why do I keep doing this to myself? Merlin was right; I just needed to forget about Gwaine for the time being. I only need to focus on the task that lay ahead. Besides, who needs love? All I need is a sword. With that, I walked back to the fire with my head held high, ready for any battle that was thrown at me.


	21. Chapter 21: The Heart of the Forest

**Chapter 21: The Heart of the Forest**

"Are you _sure_ this is a good idea?" Gwaine asked for what felt like the hundredth time. Each time, I silently rolled my eyes.

"We have no other option, Gwaine," Arthur said, authority ringing in each word spoken. Gwaine sighed.

"What if they don't help us? What if they are actually in league with Cairon?" Gwaine continued to be skeptical about the whole situation. I groaned loudly. Arthur looked at him, slightly annoyed.

"Then I'll know my father has been right about magic all this time," he said as if it was so simple.

"That won't happen," I said finally, looking directly at Gwaine. He looked startled, then slightly angry.

"And how would you possibly know that, Hale?" he said loudly.

"Because, Gwaine, not every person who has access to magic is horrible. What if they aren't in league with Cairon and could have helped us, but we didn't take that opportunity and ended up dead? What about then?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! I forgot, Hale is _always_ right about _everything_! Would you please forgive my forgetfulness?" he snarled sarcastically.

"You just don't want to believe that someone with magic can actually use it for good!" I fumed. "You're just too much of a _COWARD_ to even consider that might be true! You're pathetic." Everyone started at the two of us in shock, as we were now both standing, glaring at each other from across the flames.

"That's ENOUGH!" Arthur yelled. "Both of you! You need to sort out whatever is going on between you two, and don't even _think_ of coming back here until you have!" I huffed and walked towards where Gwaine was standing, bumping into his shoulder as I passed.

"Your _majesty_..." I heard him mutter maliciously before following me.

I went and sat at the edge of a river far away from the group. I heard Gwaine sit down as well, a good four feet away from me.

"Do try and not fall in, would you?" he sneered. I scoffed.

"Pathetic," I muttered. I felt his eyes on my face and I turned away from him, wrapping my arms around my knees and resting my chin on top. He sighed and looked out at the water. I imitated him and watched the water flowing downstream; I wished everything were that easy. I wished that I could simply flow with everything instead of fighting my way upstream against everyone else. I looked closely into the water and could see my reflection. I quickly turned away. We sat in silence for a good ten minutes until he spoke so quietly I could barely hear him.

"What's been with you lately?" I froze and slowly turned to look at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said stubbornly. He searched my face.

"You've been... angry," he said bluntly. I shrugged, not wanting to answer his question. He sighed again and I tried not to roll my eyes.

"Hale..." he started and paused, not sure how to continue. Something shifted in my mind when he said my name, I didn't know what, or why, but it calmed me. We stared at the water. I wanted to talk to him, but I was too proud, or just too much of a wimp to try. It was silent again. This time I sighed. We were stuck. I wanted to apologize for how hostile I'd been lately, but couldn't bring myself to say the words. I didn't want him to know I had feelings for him, especially now that Gizelle was here. I looked at him and saw that he was looking back at me. It seemed as if he was thinking the same thing as I was just a few seconds ago. We both smiled slightly. No words were necessary. It seemed that the silence brought not awkward tense moments, but brought us to a mutual agreement. With that, we stood and walked back to the fire, sitting in the same seats. We were both silent as Arthur filled us in on what we missed. Merlin leaned over and whispered into my ear.

"You guys okay?" I smiled and simply nodded. I looked over to see Gizelle whisper something into Gwaine's ear.

"For now," I said, and continued to listen to Arthur speak.

* * *

><p>We had been sitting around the fire for so long that the flames were now just glowing embers, and we <em>still<em> didn't have a clue about what we were going to do next.

"I propose..." Arthur began before we all groaned.

"Please! Not another proposal!" Elyan begged. Arthur gave him a mean stare. Merlin decided to be his annoying self and added on to what Elyan had said. "If you're going to propose any more, then just propose to Gwen. It's about time, for crying out loud!" For that, Arthur punched him hard enough that Merlin fell over while the rest of us laughed. Even Lancelot and Gwen were laughing, though Gwen's face was bright red. When Arthur realized Gwen was laughing too, he rolled his eyes and muttered something about immaturity. None of us cared though. I wiped the tears from my eyes.

"Okay, back to business. Let's try a little less, uh, _proposing_ -" Arthur glared at me. "And more planning. We need to plan out how many days we're going to take looking for these sis - I mean women. We can't take too long because each day we spend not attacking Cairon is one more day of slaughter people have to suffer through. I think -" Here I paused, unsure how to say, _Let's go search every forest around here until we find glowing lights and women with magic powers!_ How was I going to explain why I thought we should search forests? Merlin saved me that responsibility. He too apparently thought it was time to give our faithful, but clueless heroes another hint.

"I think maybe we should, uh, look in forests." Everyone stared at him. Arthur snorted.

"We are camped out _in a forest_, Merlin."

"I meant deeper into the forest. It just seems like two powerful, magical beings would find the heart of a forest the perfect place to, uh, see but not be found."

"See but not be found? What on earth are you talking about Merlin?" Arthur demanded.

"It's just... part of the story Gaius told me," Merlin mumbled. I felt bad for him, so I decided to help him out.

"I think it sounds like a plan." Now it was my turn to be stared at. Merlin gave me a grateful glance. "Well, we don't exactly have any other ideas so we might as well travel to the heart of this forest tomorrow and see what we find. If we're lucky, they'll be there." Everyone exchanged glances uneasily, and then Arthur reluctantly stood up.

"All right then. We'll set out at dawn tomorrow. Now everyone should get some sleep." We all went our separate ways to get ready for "bed." Briefly, I caught Gwaine's eye, so I gave him a fleeting smile then quickly turned away. As I lay down, I couldn't help feeling nervous. What if I was finally going to meet my sisters tomorrow, the bane(s) of my dreams for so long? What would we say? Would they have the sense not to mention I was their "sister" while Arthur was around? I instantly dismissed that thought. Of course they would; they were probably spying on us right now. That thought freaked me out, so I decided to stop thinking and just go to sleep. It took me a while, but finally I was able to let go and drift away.


	22. Chapter 22: Circles and Riddles

**Chapter 22: Circles and Riddles**

_They were coming to greet me. Of course, they chose tonight to wear matching outfits; long, dark dresses that flowed behind them as they walked. We were standing in the same clearing, in the same forest as all my other dreams. The moonlight made them seem ethereal... otherworldly. Both women were smiling._

_"You're finally coming," the blond woman said. She seemed relieved._

_"It's about time," her sister - _our_ sister - chimed in._

_"You must hurry. There isn't much time," the blond said grimly. I wasn't arguing. "Your ideas are correct, but your distance is off," she said musingly. It was as if she was trying to figure out how to fix a broken cart or something. I looked at her questioningly. The dark-haired one took the opportunity to butt in._

_"We stand in the shadows where no other lurks. With empty surroundings and unclouded eyes, you'll see us." She smiled kindly, but I felt about ready to squash her head. Who gives a person riddles at a time like this? I thought we "didn't have time?" I stared at the sisters, hoping for a straight answer for once, or at least a better clue. The dark-haired one spoke again, but this time didn't sound as mystical as before._

_"It's really not that difficult, sister. Think hard and the answers will come." _Damn you and your stupid, cryptic little hints,_ I thought. My thoughts must have been written all over my face because they both laughed before they faded into the darkness._

* * *

><p>I woke up extremely annoyed with my two sisters. Why couldn't they have just told me where to find them? I looked around and realized I was the only one awake. I looked towards the horizon and thought I saw a sliver of sunlight, so I decided to wake everyone up. I was tempted to throw water on Gwaine, but decided against it. I kicked him instead.<p>

"Huh?" he said, startled into sitting up. Then he saw me and rubbed his side. "Ouch!"

"Sorry. Time to wake up, sunshine!" I responded as cheerily as I could. "We've got a big day ahead of us!"

"How can you be so awake and cheery?" he grumbled.

"Because I'm annoyed. And now I'm annoyed because I'm annoyed. I also want to get going so that fewer people have to die because of my uncle."

"Why are you annoyed?"

"Annoying dream. Now help me wake the others and pack up." Together we went around poking/kicking/slapping people awake. I left Arthur to Gwaine; I didn't want to be blamed for his morning crankiness, but I claimed Merlin for myself. I squatted down beside him and said in his ear, "Wakey, wakey!" Nothing. I repeated myself, this time a little louder. Still nothing. Finally I found a leaf and started tickling his neck. That woke him up. He scratched his neck and glared at me.

"Time to face the day!" I teased, grinning at his still sleepy face. He mumbled something, then got up and helped. Gizelle was, of course, the last to wake up and she grumbled about getting up so early. It took a lot of self-control, but in the end I simply ignored her complaining. It was quite an accomplishment.

"Everyone all set?" Arthur asked. We all nodded. "Right then. Let's go!" I was about to jump on my horse when I saw that Gizelle couldn't get up. A part of me wanted to stand there and laugh, but another part of me, the part of me that tended to surprise myself, told me to help her. Gwaine wasn't anywhere near her, so I walked over and gave her a hand.

"I don't need your help!"

"I know you might not be fond of me after the way I've treated you. I'm sorry about that." She snorted.

"Are you really?" This girl was making it really hard to apologize.

"Yes, I am." She stopped struggling to get on and just looked at me. I didn't know where else to look, and I was a little stunned by her act. It was if she was trying to hypnotize me. Well, if she was, it wasn't working.

"Uh - do you still need help getting on that horse?" She continued to stare. She was very strange (she probably got that from her father). A little freaked out by her, I backed away and walked over to Gwen.

"Gizelle is following us _why_?" I asked as I approached her. She nodded behind me. I looked back at Gizelle being helped on the horse by Gwaine. This whole thing irked me inside, but then I remembered I still had the boy.

"She and Gwaine are a little too close, don't you think?" I just shrugged. She hit me on my arm, not enough for it to hurt but enough for me to know she didn't approve of my shrugging.

"I thought you liked him?"

"So did I, but she makes him happy. All I do is make him worry if I'll live or not. Plus, I have years until I need to worry about that."

"Actually, you should be married by now." I looked deliberately at her, then at Arthur, and she rolled her eyes at me.

"You know that won't happen. Not while Uther is king."

"But when Arthur is crowned..." I grinned impishly at her and wiggled my eyebrows, the way I've seen Merlin do a hundred times. She whacked me hard for that. I just laughed and mounted my horse. Soon we were all ready, so we set out to find the heart of the forest. It was going to be simple, right? Ha! Easier said than done.

* * *

><p>We had been riding for hours, which we seemed to have been doing a lot lately. The only difference is that I was pretty sure we were riding around in circles. I could've sworn we rode past that rickety old stump more than four times already. Finally, I'd had enough. I called up to Arthur, "Why don't we take a break and figure out where to go from here?"<p>

"You don't give the orders around here, Hale!" he called back.

"I know. That wasn't an order; it was a suggestion. And anyway, haven't we passed that stupid stump over four times already?" Nobody said anything, but I could feel everyone's silent agreement. Apparently Arthur could too.

"All right, all right," he surrendered. "Let's take a break and plan our next move." Everyone sighed in relief as they dismounted and stretched cramped muscles. After taking care of the horses, we all sat down in a circle to discuss what was going to happen next. I'd hoped the Brown-Eyed Beauty would do something useful like, say, fetch firewood, but instead she was sitting with her head on Gwaine's shoulder. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to Arthur.

After a while of watching everyone talk in circles, I began to space out. I started mulling over my sisters' riddle: _We stand in the shadows where no other lurks. With empty surroundings and unclouded eyes, you'll see us._ We stand in the shadows where no other lurks? Maybe the place is forbidden? Oh, well if it's magical then of course it's forbidden but still... Empty surroundings? How is that possible? You can't have surroundings if they're empty! Unclouded eyes? Are they referring to the time I got drunk? Because if they are... Never mind. FOCUSING. Hmph. They could've at least had the decency to tell me what my eyes were clouded with. The only thing I know for sure is that we're on the right track. Our "distance is off," but I guess that would make sense since we're not actually there yet.

For once, I was eager to go to sleep. Maybe they would come back in my dreams to give me some real, solid clues so that we could stop Cairon once and for all. Clearly, locking him up hadn't worked, so there was only one other alternative: we had to kill him. We had to kill my uncle. Ever since I'd heard the story about his imprisonment, I'd always thought somewhere in the back of my head that he could only be stopped if he was dead. I had no idea that I (along with a few others) would be the key to bringing about his downfall.


	23. Chapter 23: The Folaigh Glades

**Chapter 23: Folaigh Glades**

When I woke up, I stretched and thought, _I feel really, truly rested_. Then I realized why. I had not dreamed a single cryptic, magical, head-killing dream about my two sisters last night. It was about Gwaine. It was of sometime in the future. We were sitting near a river, and he had his hand on mine. Then it went further into the future. Gwaine and I were married, and we had two children. That thought made me shudder. There was something else I think I dreamt. I wasn't sure. It wasn't an actual image; it was more of a whisper. It sounded something like Folaigh. What is that? Maybe Merlin would know.

"Hey Merlin!" I shook him until he awoke.

"No, leave some for me!" Merlin yelled in his sleep, and I laughed.

"Wake up, you twit!" I patted his cheeks.

"Are you going to make hitting me a sport?" Merlin asked, bleary eyed.

"I need to ask you something. Do you know what the word Folaigh means?"

"Uh... wait, what did you say?" he asked, suddenly alert.

"Folaigh. What? Is it magic?" I asked hopefully.

"Well, not exactly. I remember reading about a place called -" I waited expectantly.

"I can't think right now, ask me in an hour." That said, he tried to go back to sleep.

"No! This can't wait." Merlin groaned, and searched through his memory.

"Ah! Yes I remember. Folaigh. I believe there is a glade or ancient clearing in the forest called the Folaigh Glades, or the hidden glades." My heart leaped. Could this place be where my sisters wanted us to go?

"Unfortunately, it doesn't exist."

"Merlin! What if it does?"

"What if you just had another dream?" He sighed. "The thing is, even if it did exist I wouldn't know where to go, and I doubt Arthur would either."

"Doubt Arthur would what?" Arthur walked over to us. We frantically looked back and forth at each other, but it was Merlin who ended up telling the lie.

"Uh - we were just talking about how you would... um... be afraid to ask Gwen to marry you! We know you're a chicken!" I smacked my forehead and groaned. It was a good lie, just a stupid one.

"You don't think I have the guts to tell Gwen to marry me?"

"Tell?" I laughed. Arthur just ignored me.

"What about you Merlin? I don't see you with any lady. And Hale, who've you got? Gwaine?" It would have been funny if I didn't have feelings for him. I just glared at Arthur, shutting him up.

"So has either of you two remembered where in the story it's said where these women reside?" Merlin and I exchanged glances.

"Um... well, we seem to remember the story mentioning something about a glade or clearing... I think there's a glade around here somewhere..." I said, completely unsure about how to tell him that we needed to search for a glade that may or may not exist.

"Well?" Arthur said impatiently. "What's this glade called?" Merlin and I exchanged glances again.

"They're called, um, well, they're called the..." My voice was getting smaller. "Folaigh Glades." When Arthur still looked confused, I realized that he must never have heard the story.

"The hidden glades," Merlin translated for me. "They're legendary." Arthur threw his hands up in exasperation.

"Perfect! First we start a hunt for two mythical beings that will supposedly help us. Then we have to look for the very heart of the forest to find those two. Now we have to look for a legendary glade that probably doesn't exist? This quest is doomed!" Arthur stormed off, leaving us silently agreeing with what he said.


	24. Chapter 24: The Nymphs

**Chapter 24: The Nymphs**

After Arthur announced what we had to do next, I could see the defeat on everyone's faces. We had come so far to do this; now it seemed like our quest would end before we even reached our goal. Everyone was in a bad mood. We all decided to rest where we were for a little while until Merlin and I could tell them any other _useful_ information we remembered from the legend. In the meantime, we all got ready. I made sure the horses were ready for yet another arduous trip. I saw that everyone was working on what they would normally work on later. For instance, I saw Merlin collecting firewood and Gwaine getting more water, but I didn't see Gizelle doing anything. Guess I shouldn't be surprised though; so far, she hadn't done anything useful. I walked up to her, ready to rant about how useless she was when I heard her talking, apparently to herself. She mumbled something in a very strange language. I came up behind her and put my hand on her shoulder and she jumped. I was startled as well and jumped back. Her fierce eyes flashed at me.

"What were you saying? That sounded like magic." Her expression softened, but only a little. A beautiful green butterfly circled her head then flew off.

"I was... uh... performing an incantation."

"For what?" I asked skeptically.

"I... fell and hurt my arm." She showed me her arm. I almost gasped when I saw that her whole arm was dripping with blood. As much as I hated her, I felt very sorry for her. That really must have hurt.

"It was a healing spell."

"Well, you better not let Arthur or Gwaine catch you." She nodded.

"Where did you fall?" I asked, concerned.

"On that rock." She pointed towards a small stone on the ground. It didn't have any blood on it, and I thought that she probably washed it off, but there was no indication that it had been wet. I looked at her, full of suspicion. She grimaced, and looked back at the rock. There was blood on it as well as a puddle of water around it. Were my eyes playing with me, or was she doing something? She was probably using magic. As that thought lead to other thoughts in my head, I realized that I didn't know any magic. I decided that I would ask Merlin to teach me. I left Gizelle to heal herself, and ran to go find Merlin. I asked the charming Sir Leon where Merlin went. He told me he went into the forest to find some wood, or "twigs" as the knights jokingly called them. I ran to find him, too excited to wait any longer. I finally found him with some actual wood this time. He smiled when he saw me and dumped all of the wood into a big pile.

"So, what brings you to my kingdom?" he asked, acting regal. I laughed and asked him to teach me magic. He looked at me worriedly.

"What? Are you scared to teach me? Or are you afraid that if you teach me, I'll become better than you?" I mocked him.

"No," he said, still serious.

"Then what is it Mer?" I laughed at the pet name I had given him. He glared at me for a second, then went back to worrying.

"It's just that I've never taught anyone to do magic. Normally, I'm the one learning it."

"Well, then teach me the first spell you ever remember doing," I retorted. I was determined to learn.

"Allinan," he answered. I looked at him, confused.

"And that means...?" He smiled.

"Open," he responded simply. _All right_, I thought. _Open. It's a simple spell; it can't be that hard_. I closed my eyes. _Allinan, allinan, allinan_... I repeated in my head. I took a deep breath. Merlin bent down and picked up a nut, and handed it to me. I held it in the palm of my hands and took another deep breath. I opened my eyes and stared at the nut.

"Allinan," I said, concentrating all my attention on the nut. I waited for a few seconds staring at the nut, my eyes watering from not blinking.

"Come on... _come on_!" I frowned, continuing to stare at the nut in my hands.

"Hale, it didn't work. Just... try again." Merlin instructed. I still didn't break my gaze, even when a butterfly gently brushed against my cheek.

"No," I said stubbornly. "I think I saw a crack, it has to work!" Merlin chuckled at me and I pouted and broke my gaze to glare at him. He told me to try again. I took a breath and looked back down at the nut. Right in the middle of the spell we heard footsteps, so we immediately stopped. It was probably one of the knights. Merlin picked up his wood and tried to act as naturally as possible. Right as he picked up his wood, the steps stopped. Maybe we were both hearing things.

"Allinan," I whispered, and then I felt the nut crack in half in my open palms. I smiled slightly and was about to rub it in Merlin's face when something whizzed by my head. I looked at the tree next to me and there, inches from my face, was an arrow. We then heard pounding feet. The ground was shaking and it sounded like an army a thousand strong was charging us. But we saw nothing. That's what made it scary. If you have an invisible army coming at you, you should be scared. Merlin and I looked at each other.

"Run?" I asked, surprisingly calm. Sadly, I was starting to get used to being hunted.

"Run," he agreed, nodding, so we turned around and ran for our lives.

We ran all the way to where the camp was and even past it, not even bothering to get our horses. Our friends took one look at us, dropped everything and followed. They ran after asking us what was going on. We didn't want to waste our breath on answering a question that would probably be answered soon. We ran without ever slowing or stopping. Even Gizelle kept up with us all. We ran for so long that we made it out of the forest. All those days we took to travel deep into the forest was lost as we ran out. But how was that possible? I looked back as I heard the sound of feet growing louder. Either they were getting closer, or their numbers were growing. We ran for a few more minutes, but then abruptly stopped. I grabbed Merlin's shirt as he almost fell over the cliff we were trapped on. The ground was thousands of feet below us, and it made me feel dizzy just looking at it. The rest of the lot finally caught up with us, breathless. Arthur was the only one who could speak.

"What... on earth... were you running for?" he managed to pant out.

"Oh, it was just for the exercise!" Merlin gasped sarcastically.

"There was something or someone coming after us. Didn't you hear the feet?" I panted. Everyone was silent for a minute, trying to hear the feet. There was nothing. Merlin and I exchanged looks. There was no way we imagined all of that. Arthur put his hand to his ear, trying to listen harder.

"Well, since you two were the only 'witnesses' to the pounding feet, I'd say it was all in your imaginations. You," he pointed at me. "Are recovering from a severe head injury that no doubt left some damage behind. And you," he pointed at Merlin. "I'm not sure what the hell is wrong with you, but there's definitely something! Now thanks to your warnings, we must go all the way back if we ever want to kill your lunatic of an uncle!" He turned around to head back, but appeared to run into something very solid. He was immediately knocked out. But there was nothing there. How could this strong man be knocked out by nothing? Unless... there was something there. Suddenly, someone or something solidified in front of our eyes.

There were forty, fifty, now sixty of them appearing like the first one. They were women, except their skin wasn't skin; it looked more like bark. They were about ten feet tall. Their eyes were a dark yellow, which looked more like cat eyes than human eyes. Their hair was like grass, or like golden barley, some darker than others. They were very... willowy. There was no other word to describe it. They brought the scent of the forest with them; I could smell pine, and I swear if water had a smell, they brought it with them too. It didn't take a sorcerer to figure out what had attacked us. Dryads, or tree spirits, were notoriously sneaky, but were known to keep to themselves. They must have messed with our sense of direction and trapped us here, which would explain why we made it out of the forest so quickly. The dryad that appeared first spoke. Her voice sounded like a reed flute. It was airy yet fierce.

"You travelers," It was deeper than I thought it would be. "You have trespassed into the land of Cairon. You!" She pointed at me. I didn't flinch once. "You were banished from these lands! Why do you come back? Is it to bring to about his downfall? No? You seek something that you cannot find?" How did they know? Oh, well I guess it made sense. Most magical creatures seemed to know more about what was going on in _my_ life than I did these days.

The female dryad huffed as if dissatisfied. "You entered sacred land; the land of my people. No humans are allowed. I'm sure you know of this. All those who trespass must come with us as prisoners or else," She looked at the crumpled body of Arthur. "You shall receive a worse fate than that." We were trapped; we couldn't even fight back as her army of tree-people grabbed our arms and shoved us towards the forest. Their fingers were rough on my skin. Everyone was being lead by a tree lady except for Gizelle. One of the dryads had gotten fed up with her and threw her over her shoulder. How could we have been defeated by a bunch of trees?! The thought was embarrassing beyond belief, but our situation was one we couldn't avoid. We couldn't have made a bargain, nor could we have fought our way out. Arthur was knocked out and was being carried tenderly by another nymph. I saw that Gwaine was quite enjoying the fact that a female of some sort was escorting him somewhere. All affectionate feelings I had for him were gone now. I felt defeated. All the purpose I had, any glimmer of hope was now dim and fading as we entered the forest.


	25. Chapter 25: Captured

**Chapter 25: Captured**

As we walked by the trees, there was an orange glow in the forest, though it was well after dark. All of the trees had the yellow cat eyes, and their eyes followed us as we continued our procession through the forest to wherever they were taking us. That wasn't the only light. There was also a glow coming from the moon. But it was an unusual glow; almost blue in color, like the butterfly I had seen that fateful day in Actica. But maybe it was just because we were weary from running earlier.

We finally stopped walking. I wasn't so happy to stop walking because all the pain of the day finally hit me. My knees and feet were aching, and my head was throbbing. I was about to collapse when they dragged us to this giant tree. I thought maybe that was the queen of the dryads. It was an enormous tree, hundreds of feet high and so wide I don't think the nine of us (Gizelle doesn't count for anything anymore) together could wrap our arms around it. About one hundred men could fit around its trunk. There was a giant hole in the middle of it, and there were torches guiding the way in. I couldn't help but worry, childishly, if whatever they had in mind for us was going to hurt. I'd experienced more than enough pain in the past few days, thank you very much. We were led down a narrow tunnel towards some cells made of wood. The sight of the wood cheered me up a little; after all, how hard was wood to break? One of the dryads must have guessed what was on my mind because she said, "The cells are unbreakable. Dryad magic is very powerful." I glared at her. Thanks, dream killer. Though maybe it was best to know beforehand because I didn't want to be lit on fire or something if I accidentally touched the bars.

There were two cells. One was down the hall from us where they took Lancelot, Merlin (to my horror), Elyan, Sir Leon and Arthur. They put Gwen, Gwaine, Gizelle, Percival and I in the other. At least there were two people I could get along with. The others... well, they'd better not get on my nerves too much. I've heard that sometimes, prisoners develop some form of madness and sometimes go insane and kill their cellmates. I've got magic now too, so Gwaine and the Witless Wonder had better watch out.

I was the last to be shoved into the cell. They pushed me right into Percival, who caught me with strong, warm arms... wait, what am I saying? I rudely shrugged him off and went to go sit and sulk in the corner. It was cold in the cell, and I was shivering intensely. Gwen came to sit next to me and she put her arms around me to keep me warm. The girl was a true saint. I smiled gratefully, and then put my arms around her so we could keep each other warm. It just occurred to me that I was the youngest of the nine of us. I felt very small suddenly, and not as powerful and almighty as before, and in the first time in a long time I _really_ cried. Before I nearly drowned myself I cried, but not like this. I caught everyone by surprise as I wept.

"Aw, no," I groaned, hurriedly wiping away at my tears. "What is the matter with me?"

"It's been rough, Hale. Everyone feels the way you do," Gwen said kindly. I snorted.

"Maybe, but you don't see anyone else breaking down, do you?"

"Out of all of us, you've been through the most. You were the one whose life was completely turned upside down, not once but three times. You were the one who had to watch her family die. It's a wonder you're still sane," Gwen told me gently. I sighed.

"Well, if Merlin were here he'd tell me to stop watering the prison cell," I said. I laughed weakly and wiped the last of my tears away. Gwen looked at me thoughtfully.

"You and Merlin have grown really close, haven't you?"

"Yeah. He's like the brother I always wanted. But don't tell him I said that. He'd never let me live it down." I was starting to feel better. Gwen rubbed my shoulders in an effort to make me feel warmer. Percival surprised me by walking over with the soft concerned eyes of a young boy. He pulled out a blanket from a pack he had with him.

"I hope this might help." It was the first time I had heard him speak. His voice was deep, yet very soft and sweet. I smiled at him thankfully, but shook my head.

"No, you keep it. What if you get cold?"

"It would be an honor, my lady, if you took it." My lady? Yeah right. He handed it to me. I took it gratefully, and smiled.

"Thank you." I was barely able to whisper it through my parched lips. He smiled crookedly and was about to walk off.

"Wait! Stay here. I appreciate your company." Gwen eyed me strangely, and so did Gwaine, but I tried my best to ignore it. He sat in front of me and smiled weakly. He was a strange man. He was very silent and timid most of the time. Hardly ever made eye contact with me. If I hadn't known him better, I would think he was scared of me. But I had seen him fight before, and he was a valuable asset in our cause.

"Why haven't you ever spoken to me before?" He shrugged.

"Well, there has to be a reason." I smiled, and his face turned slightly pink, or maybe it was the way the fire from the torch glowed at that second.

"Are you scared of me?" He shook his head. "Well, then, what is it?"

"He's shy, Hale!" Gwaine said, coming over to us and leaving Gizelle to shiver in the corner by herself. I was sort of okay with that. I had a strong feeling that she was the cause of all this, but I didn't have any proof. Besides, it could just be a byproduct of my dislike for the girl. Gwaine smiled at me, and butterflies started fluttering in my stomach. I instantly squashed those darn butterflies and turned away. Curse love!

"Gwaine," I whispered. "Why is she here?"

"She wanted to tag along and so I let her. Why not? What? Do you have a problem with her or something?" I rolled my eyes.

"She's only slowing us down. And she is useless! You have to admit that." I looked to Percival and Gwen for support. They nodded in agreement.

"It is true," Gwen said shyly.

"Ah! Don't worry about it," he said with a wave of his hands. "I find her a bit dull, not fun to mess around with, you know." He winked at me. I knew he was talking about the first few days we had known each other. I still couldn't help but wonder how he could get over a woman so fast, no matter how dumb she was. I felt Gwaine and I were on better terms, but still not like how we were before.

"Hey Percy!" It took me a while for me to realize he was talking to Percival. "You still have that ale from back at that healing village?" Percy threw his sack at Gwaine, who caught it and smiled like a child who had gotten a new toy.

"Thank you very much!" He opened up the sack and pulled out a black and brown leather flask. He opened it, chugged the whole thing, and collapsed backwards. When he fell, he started to laugh hysterically.

"Oh, why do you all look so worried?" he said, still laughing. He was howling now, and running around our cell saying something like, "Where are my dandelions?" I had only been around a drunkard once, and it did not end well. Gwen looked at me worriedly and whispered that this was normal for him. I wouldn't have guessed, but maybe I should have. Percival looked through his sack for something, as Gwaine started to roar with laughter. He went over to Gizelle, and took her hand and started twirling her around. He was humming a tune as they danced. They looked ridiculous, but I couldn't help but watch. Is this what that drink does to you? Does it intoxicate your mind and numb all sense of rationality? Does it obscure your mind in a cloud so that you can't see the difference between right and wrong? Like when I almost killed myself, because I thought that death was the easy way out? It was, but nothing would have been solved if I had died. I don't know what comes after that last heartbeat, and the slowing of your breathing. The unknown scared me more than knowing what may become of my future. And the future of others was on my shoulders. Ale caused a man to become greedy and lose all sense of compassion, not to mention manners. I thought this right as I saw Gwaine lean down towards Gizelle to kiss her, I think, but she shoved him away, as she almost fainted from his breath. He was getting angry, and was about to do something when our door flew open. A big man with one eye came in. He had a large tunic on and he wore no shoes. His teeth were brown with rot, and his breath smelled like death. He growled into Gwaine's face and Gwaine's hair flew everywhere. He waved his hand in front of his face and pinched his nose.

"You really need to work on that breath of yours; there's no way a woman will love you if you come home to her smelling like you've been eating animal carcasses all day." Gwaine wasn't laughing anymore, but there was still something comical about the way he said it. The giant one-eyed man sniffed Gwaine, and then growled. His deep voice sounded like rocks were grinding against each other. He talked with a peasants' slang.

"You been drinkin', ain'tcha?" Gwaine tried to hold back his laughter. As if that was funny! "Well, ain't no drinkin' allowed for the prisoners!" Gwaine became serious.

"And what name do you go by?"

"Heimech," the man growled, and Gwaine put his hand on Heimech's shoulders.

"Well then, it's my displeasure, my dear friend, to inform you that _you_ are the one who cannot drink."

"What?"

"Well, you did say that prisoners weren't allowed to drink." We all stood there in horror, scared about what he would say next.

"And if I'm thinking straight," Ironic right? "I think that you, my dear Heimech, are a prisoner. Those dryads, those very beautiful and alluring," he slurred that word. "Dryads are keeping you prisoner. Tell me, do you ever get to leave this place? You know, to take a break?"

"No," Heimech answered skeptically.

"Soooo you are a prisoner, see! So we are all good friends now, eh?" Gwaine grinned and put out his hand for Heimech to shake. At first it looked like Heimech was going to, but then he bellowed and hit Gwaine, sending him flying towards us. Gwaine landed on his back, the wind knocked out of him. Gwen ran to him.

"All of you's! If I finds out you's been drinkin' again, I will give ya more than a blow to yer stomach! Don't be acausin' any more trouble than it is!" He grumbled as he sealed our cell door shut with a spell. Gwaine was rubbing the back of his head and holding his other hand to his stomach. Gwen put his head in her lap. He looked at Percival and mouthed something to him. He probably asked for more beer.

When he could finally breath again, Gwen left him, curled up in a corner and fell asleep. Percival and Gizelle drifted off to the dream world soon after Gwen, leaving a half-breathing Gwaine and me awake. I just sat there in the cold, looking and listening for Gwaine's breath, scared that he would stop breathing altogether. What was the creature Heimech? Was it a troll? No, it was too clean and tall for a troll. Maybe he was just a human after all.

"Hale!" Gwaine called out, interrupting my thoughts.

"Mhm?"

"Come here!" I crawled over to where he was and sat next to him.

"This shirt is weighing down on my chest. Would you unbutton it for me?" Woah! That was definitely the ale talking. I was hesitant, but then thought maybe his chest was bruised and did as he said. It wasn't bruised, but I could see a faint burn mark. I absentmindedly traced my hand around where it was. Gwaine started to giggle and he grabbed my hand. I had to fight a bizarre urge to blush, crack up and smack him all at the same time. He started to breath regularly, as if a massive weight had been removed.

"Is that all you want from me, Gwaine?" I talked to him like a mother would her son.

"Stay with me. I am so lonely here." I sighed and sat next to him, and squeezed his hand. He just stared at me in a very weird, yet very familiar way. Not the way he usually stared at me, but a way someone else had stared at me years ago. I had all but forgotten about the boy. I realized then that I had unconsciously taken Gwaine's advice and stopped looking for and wondering about him. Without realizing it, I fingered my necklace, and as usual Gwaine noticed.

"Pretty," he slurred. "Shiny... like you." Now I'm _shiny_? He really needs to lay off the ale.

"Um, thanks... I think," I mumbled. I was starting to worry about him. Gwen said this was normal for him, but did "normal" include the drunken ramblings?

"My mum had something like that once."

"Really?" I asked. He laughed innocently.

"Yes!" His eyes were turning glossy. What was happening? Was he about to go into a rage?

"I took it from her. I stole it because I was mad. I don't remember why. But I remember... fire." I gulped. I had been in a fire too. He started to smile as he remembered.

"I remember this girl, this pretty girl. I don't know what she was doing there. That place was not for women. But her... brother... no, her father! Yes, her father started to fight, with my uncle you know." What was he saying? This couldn't be true.

"Then the tavern was alight, and I saved that girl. Stupid me. I could have saved my mother, but something told me to save that girl."

"Gwaine! Stop it. This is all nonsense. That's the story I told you. You weren't the boy. You can't be. Remember, you said you were his _friend_."

"Why are you denying the truth? Don't you get it? I was there! I rescued that girl! I remember it as if it were yesterday. I gave her that necklace you're wearing! Why did you steal it from her?" He was starting get angry, and everyone was waking up because of him. I ran to where Percy and Gwen were. Percy pulled me behind him as we watched Gwaine try to get up clumsily. He almost stood, but then collapsed in front of us. I stared at him, struck dumb by what he said. It wasn't true. But it made sense now why he continuously looked at my necklace, why he always got jittery when we talked about the boy. But he was drunk, and probably confused. I had told him the story before, and he probably knew some of it since he knew his friend was the boy.

"I remember how she felt!" he cried. "I remember the tender way she looked at me. The way she cared for me when I was still recovering from the fire. I remember one day when she tried to make bread..." His eyes were drifting past our heads and he looked as if he was in a trance. "She made it, but it burnt, and so we had nothing to eat that day." How did he know that? I didn't tell anyone about that. No one knew but the boy.

"Hale, is he saying he is...?"

"Yes," I whispered to Gwen. "I think he is. But why didn't he just -" Gwaine interrupted me.

"I remembered how she insisted that we should go hunting." He laughed a little. "She told me her father had taught her how. So we did, and we caught two rabbits. We ate like royalty that day!" He smiled at the memory, and then hiccupped and giggled. Suddenly, he frowned.

"The drinking... she always got mad about the drinking..." he murmured. "She told me one day I was going to drink myself sick, so sick that she wouldn't be able to care for me. She told me instead of mourning she would say 'I told you so,' but I knew her better than that. It was easy to see that if I did die, she would be devastated. I guess I'm just a ladies man!" He grinned stupidly. I was still frozen; I hadn't told anyone that either. The longer he talked, the more obvious it seemed that Gwaine was the boy. He continued, "I mean, when I left, I thought she was going to fall apart completely! She kept begging me not to go. I wouldn't have left her if I thought she couldn't fend for herself, but that girl was more than capable of living on her own. I only left so that she wouldn't be in danger." His voice grew soft. "I couldn't bear it either if she died..." He rubbed his eyes and broke himself out of the trance, and decided to lie down on the hard dirt floor. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

_**END PART TWO**_


	26. Chapter 26: Truth

_**PART THREE**_

**Chapter 26: Truth**

I still couldn't believe what just happened. Percy didn't know what was going on, and Gizelle had magically slept through it all. Gwen, however, looked as shocked as I felt.

"Hale. It could just be the mead..."

"It's not," I replied, trying not to show my emotions. "There's no way any drunk man could spin a story as accurate as that." Gwen squeezed my arm sympathetically.

"Well, at least you found him," she said quietly, trying to be as positive as possible. Percival looked hopelessly confused, but tried to be as supportive as Gwen. We walked back to where we had been before Gwaine embarked on his adventure to the past.

I lay down, and tried to make myself as comfortable as I could. I tossed and turned for a while until I found myself looking up at the ceiling. I hadn't noticed before, but there wasn't a ceiling. I could see the stars glowing. They looked so beautiful and calm. They looked so perfect. More perfect than my life was at the moment. I was stuck in a prison cell with two friends, a personal enemy, and possibly the love of my life. We still had to get out to find my sisters, who would help us defeat Cairon. Who knows what he's done since we left Camelot? We only saw a small scale of what he could possibly be doing at this very moment. It angered me that I couldn't do anything, that all I could do was lie here and worry about my petty problems.

"Please sisters, help me," I pleaded. My eyes slowly drooped as the starry night sky blurred in my vision and my head slumped to the floor.

* * *

><p><em>I was back in the clearing, the empty clearing. My head shot from side to side as I searched for my sisters.<em>

_"Please! Help us!" I screamed into the echoing wind. "Help me..." I whispered, sinking to my knees. I felt the brown grass below. They weren't here. Had they given up on me? They couldn't! I needed them! We needed them! They couldn't leave. The wind gained speed and my hair whipped around my face, getting stuck to the salty tears that were leaking from my eyes. I ripped out chunks of the dead grass and threw it into the wind in anger._

_"So this is it?" I yelled in anger, getting to my feet with tears still streaming down my face. "You're just going to leave me?" I laughed without humor. "Your own sister!" I looked around the clearing, hoping that my taunts would cause them to come out into the open. "Or was it all a lie?" I continued. "Was everything you told me a lie? Did you lie to me just like everyone else has?" My eyes continued to scan my surroundings; nothing but my own voice echoed back at me, pitiful and croaking. I marched towards the center of the clearing, hoping to find them, but as I marched the clearing faded. Everything spun out of control; my feet left the ground and a sob escaped my trembling lips. I closed my eyes tightly and soon after felt my body hit the ground hard._

_"That wasn't the best landing," I heard a voice say with a hint of humor._

_"Someone's out of practice!" said another singsong voice. I recognized those voices. My eyes shot open, and I saw my two sisters standing above me. Both were smiling, one with a sweet smile on her lips and the other's was slightly teasing. I was starting to wonder if I should trust these two. They had been watching silently while I slowly started to unravel._

_"Wasn't that _magical_?" the teasing one asked. The sweet one whacked her arm lightly._

_"Hello, sister," she said, smiling still. I wiped dirt off my arm and pants as I stood up to glare at the two._

_"Why weren't you at the clearing?" I stuttered. They both smiled._

_"We are at the clearing," the sweet one responded, pointing behind me. I could see the clearing in the distance. It was a little far, but I still wondered why they couldn't have just called me over instead of disorientating me and causing me to land on the not-so-soft dirt. I asked them this, and the teasing one shrugged._

_"I needed practice, and we didn't feel like walking," she joked, receiving a glare from the sweet one who then turned to me._

_"You have not found the clearing," she stated, completely ignoring my earlier question._

_"Uh... I... no," I admitted, hanging my head. She surprised me by smiling yet again. What is with her?_

_"Do not worry, sister. Soon the locks will be undone, the chains will be broken and the journey shall continue with new company," she said. I sighed angrily._

_"Yeah, it's annoying sometimes, isn't it?" the teasing one said. I looked at her questioningly. "The riddles," she answered. I laughed bitterly._

_"Yeah, extremely." She smiled at me, and I hoped she might give me straight answers for once. She just shook her head as if she read my mind. My shoulders slumped._

_"What would be the fun in just giving you the answers?" I was about to respond, but at that moment a huge gust of wind caused my sisters' images to blur._

_"I'm sorry," I heard one of them say. I'm guessing it was the sweet, motherly blond because the other didn't seem to be paying attention anymore. The wind gained speed, and soon enough my body was spinning once again, faster this time, down into the darkness until I felt solid once again._

* * *

><p>I gasped as I sat up after my dream. My forehead was sweaty, and my back ached from the prison cell floor. I sighed, looking around at the sleeping forms of my friends (and one enemy). I looked up at the dark sky, feeling one stray tear roll down my face. I wiped it away angrily with the back of my hand. <em>Stupid riddles<em>, I thought before closing my eyes in hopes of getting some sleep before the sun rose. But I never saw the sun rise. I stared up into the sky, and nothing ever changed. The same stars twinkled. Then, when one star dripped on me, I realized that they were actually glowworms. I didn't know glowworms lived inside trees. I wiped my face and found a spot in the cell where there weren't any. I tossed and turned for a while, but eventually fell into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

><p>A few hours later - I guessed it was around dawn - everyone was awake... everyone, that is, except the snoring lump that was Gwaine. I looked at the others, who seemed to be ignoring him, and stood up. I walked over and picked up a glass of water that we were given last night. I marched right back over to him and emptied the contents of the glass all over his face, getting some in his mouth, which was hanging open. His eyes bulged as he sat up, coughing out the water. I walked back and put the cup down, satisfied. I heard a groan behind me and turned around to see Gwaine trying to shrink into the corner grabbing his head. I laughed slightly as he rubbed his face.<p>

"Are you alright?" I asked in mock sympathy. He tried to glare at me but his face just scrunched up in pain as he groaned.

"Shut up, Hale. Please don't yell..." I looked at him weirdly.

"I wasn't yelling." He shrieked and put his palms over his ears in agony.

"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" he yelled, rocking back and forth like a small child. I couldn't help but laugh as he rolled over onto his side with his knees still up to his chest.

"Ouch," he grumbled, massaging his temples. I sat next to him, still laughing.

"You're going to die one day from all that drinking, and I'm going to say 'I told you so' over your dead body," I scolded. He stopped his groaning and sat up, looking at me. His pained face softened a little before it scrunched up again, looking as if he was in more pain than before.

"Hale, I -" he started. I just raised a hand, cutting him off.

"Talk later, water now," I said, handing him a glass. He took it gratefully. "You really need to stop drinking," I said before standing up and walking to the other side of the cell to Gwen, not letting Gwaine respond.

* * *

><p>Hours had passed, yet we still sat in this cramped cell. I stared at the glowworms, a new habit of mine. I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall behind me, smiling slightly. I took a deep breath and heard footsteps coming towards our cell. I stood up, opening my eyes. I walked over to the cold bars and grabbed them, trying to see who it was. It was the guy with one eye from yesterday bringing food. Yes! I thought as my stomach growled hungrily. He came over and handed me the loaf of moldy bread and dried fruits through the bars, and I passed it along to everyone else. It was devoured in a matter of minutes. The man just shuffled off, I'm guessing to go feed the others. We all sat in silence, eating the little amount of food we got. I suddenly wondered how the others were faring; Arthur probably wasn't happy about the less-than-princely portions. I jumped at the sound of something clanging on the ground from far away and a distant shout.<p>

"Merlin, you _IDIOT_! Look at this, look at what you _did_!" I laughed loudly. That answered my question. If Arthur was strong enough to yell, that was a good sign... for everyone except Merlin. I'm guessing Arthur continued to yell at Merlin because I could still hear a distant grumbling of angry words. I chuckled and continued eating my food until it somehow disappeared. _How did that happen?_ I wondered grumpily as I swallowed. _Oh yeah, that's how._ I sighed. I stared at the wall across from me as I heard the others finishing their food as well. My eyes traced the cell. _This damn tree_, I thought. _We're going to die in here, aren't we? Cairon will kill everyone and we are going to die of starvation and boredom because some stupid twigs defeated us._ I breathed deeply, trying to calm myself down as I continued to stare at the wall for what felt like hours. Everyone stayed silent, obviously feeling some tension from my cold stare.

The hours ticked by, and yet we were only greeted by silence. A silence that echoed through the cells and slowly gnawed at my insides. A silence that was so mocking, so powerful. A silence reminding me that it was over; we were trapped. My hope was gone. I couldn't seem to think straight enough to figure out any possible way to get us out; it seemed that there was no way out. I cursed at the walls. I didn't want to be conscious anymore. It seemed that when I was, all my thoughts spiraled in a depressing direction. I lay down on the cold floor, hoping for some more sleep. My thoughts calmed and my breathing slowed.

I felt that I was about to drift off when I suddenly heard the cell door being unlocked and heard the screeching of it being dragged across the ground as it opened. I lifted my head to see the one-eyed man again. He wanted Gizelle. He claimed that they were going to question her; he seemed to be holding some kind of torture device. Gizelle looked at it in horror. The man led her out after slamming the cell door loudly. _Why did they want her first?_ I thought. _She doesn't know anything. Heck, she doesn't do anything. There's no point in questioning her._ I couldn't help wondering why they did. I tried to put it from my mind and go back to sleep, but something about it kept bothering me. They don't need her, and we don't need her, which is exactly why they won't get anything from her. She isn't one of us, she's just... there. I suppose they didn't know that, but somehow I felt they did. I felt that it was almost obvious to see that she didn't belong with us. And yet, they wanted to talk to her. Would they bring her back? What were they going to do to her? Who would be next?

I glanced quickly at Gwaine and scolded myself for it. I don't need to worry about him. He can take care of himself. I need to forget about him and everything he claims to be. But I can't. I wanted to believe he was the boy, and then I didn't. I scolded myself once again. I needed to let him go, let that fantasy go. But the fantasy stuck, along with Gwaine. I felt about ready to yank all of my hair out in frustration. I saw Percival from the corner of my eye looking at me. I turned my head and saw his confused expression.

_Are you alright?_ he mouthed. I looked at him, not sure how to answer. In the end, I settled on just shrugging while my head bobbed up and down slightly. He looked at me with more confusion than before. I sighed. I will be, I mouthed back. He nodded in understanding. I turned to continue staring at the wall.


	27. Chapter 27: Escape

**Chapter 27: Escape**

Footsteps echoed through the cell. It seemed darker than before; night had come again. The footsteps approached, and then the face of Heimech appeared outside the door. He stared at all of us through his only eye. He looked behind him, looking almost nervous before he yanked at something around his belt and pulled out a key. He unlocked the cell and opened it wide. I stared at him curiously. He motioned for us to come out. I stood quickly, studying him.

"There ain't time, I'll say later," he whispered. I shrugged and rushed out of the cell quickly as the others followed. Once we were all out, Heimech closed the cell and we all ran over to where the others were. We reached their cell and I saw them all spread out across the cell looking incredibly bored. Arthur was next to Merlin, who was across from Elyan, Sir Leon and Lancelot. When they saw us, all of them stood.

"Hale!" Merlin said happily, trotting over to the door and smiling at me. I grinned widely at him and told him to be quiet. "Oh," he whispered, looking a little guilty. I laughed quietly. Heimech then unlocked their cell door and let them all out. Merlin grabbed me in a bone-crushing hug as Arthur just looked at Heimech suspiciously.

"Where are you taking us?" he asked with his natural authority.

"Arthur, don't even start right now. Just come on!" I said. He glared at me before coming out of the cell. Heimech quickly shut it and beckoned us to continue following him down the hall.

"Why are you helping us?" I whispered to him. "Where _are_ you taking us?" And then I asked the one question that I felt I didn't care what the answer was, but I was honestly curious about. "Where's Gizelle?" He looked at me furiously and motioned for me to shut my mouth and focus on getting out of here. I silently nodded and closed my mouth. Soon, we were all running as quiet as possible down a long hall; our shadows danced off the opposite walls. We ran for a good ten minutes before Heimech came to a sudden halt. I ran into his back and cursed quietly as he motioned for us all to put our backs against the wall and be silent. We did as he said, and I held my breath as I heard footsteps walk by about seven feet from where we were hiding in the shadows. The footsteps died away, and we all bee lined towards the next area we could shrink away from view. We continued this routine until I could almost taste the freedom.

Suddenly, Heimech stopped us and my face fell. This was the hardest part; we had to get out of the actual tree. I looked at the big door that was our only way out. There were two guards on either side of it that we had to get past. All right, only two. This shouldn't be too hard. I started walking over when I felt someone grab my arm and yank me back. It was Merlin. He was looking at me as if I had gone insane, which I honestly wasn't too sure about anymore. I just looked at him with a stare that he understood was my way of telling him I would be fine. He nodded slightly and squeezed my hand before letting me go. I could hear my shoes hitting the solid ground as I marched over towards the two guards, in full view. They saw me obviously; it looked as if they weren't sure what to do. I walked towards them, doing nothing to reveal that I wasn't supposed to be there. They, of course, knew I wasn't supposed to, but I marched with such grace and authority that they stumbled a little bit, trying to decide what form of action they should take. They looked at me questioningly and blocked the door. I smiled sweetly at them before lunging and knocking their heads together, a sickening crunch echoing throughout the hall. I waved at the others smiling, who rushed over looking at me in shock.

"No wonder I didn't stand a chance in the arena," I thought I heard Sir Leon mutter. I silently laughed at that. Arthur was somehow able to get the large door open, and we all ran out into the night, breathing in as much air as we could. We were out! I ran over to Merlin and hugged him while squealing in delight. He laughed and dragged me towards the others, who were heading into the forest for coverage. We continued heading deeper into the forest until we stopped far enough away from the tree that it wasn't visible anymore. I turned, beaming, towards all of the others who were all beaming as well. Then I turned to Heimech.

"Why..." I started. He put a hand up to stop me.

"I decided to help you because your drunk friend was right," he said, motioning to a confused Gwaine. "I was a prisoner in there; I was forced to do what they told me to. I had no freedom. I wanted freedom, and I thought that if I rescued you all I could come with you and be able to start over somewhere else, somewhere safe, away from here." He looked at me as if waiting for an answer. Arthur stepped in.

"Of course you can come. We owe you our lives." Heimech looked at him gratefully, and then continued to speak to me.

"You asked me about the other girl..." I nodded. "She was not who she seemed," he said simply. I looked at him, confused.

"She was in league with the nymphs," he said grimly. "She is the one who summoned them to capture you."


	28. Chapter 28: A Twist of Fate

**Chapter 28: A Twist of Fate**

I heard everyone gasp. I myself was stunned, and angry because I realized the day I found her "healing" her arm in the woods was probably when she summoned them. Gwaine looked the most shocked of all, and a little guilty.

"I... I'm so sorry. I didn't know. If I knew, I wouldn't have let her come... I..." he stuttered nervously.

"We know Gwaine, it's fine. It's not all your fault," I said, although I didn't completely agree. I just wanted to shut him up. Arthur started to talk about our next move of how to continue our search. Finally, Lancelot shut him up by suggesting we find somewhere to spend the night. Lancelot was the only one who could get away with interrupting Arthur's grand plans. We started to walk deeper into the forest, probably to try to find the horses and all of our supplies. As we walked, I couldn't help but notice Gwaine walking far away from me with his head hanging as he looked down at his feet. Ever since he got drunk, I'd been trying to avoid thinking about what he said and how drastically that would affect my reality. Lately, all my realities were turning out to be false, and I constantly had to find new ones that made some degree of sense; I didn't think I could survive another reality change. As my happiness at being free began to fade, Percival caught up to me and asked if I was all right.

"What? Oh, yeah I'm fine. We're free now!" He chuckled.

"Yes we are," he said quietly. I smiled at him. He gave me a small smile in return. I was really beginning to like Percival. He seemed a little intimidating at first, but he was really just soft-spoken. Which was nice, but made it very awkward when walking in a dark forest.

"So..." I began, trying to break the awkward silence. "Since we're hiking through a seemingly endless forest, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?" He just looked at me. "I'm just trying to make polite conversation..." He snorted at that.

"I've been hearing from Arthur that you... aren't very good... at being polite." I scowled at him, although I wasn't sure if he could see me since it was so dark. Geez, even Percival knew about my manners, or lack thereof. Was Arthur telling everyone we met about my social skills?

"Are you going to tell me anything? Do you have any brother or sisters?" I was determined to make this guy talk. There's just something about quiet people that makes you want to get them to talk. He was quiet for a minute, but eventually answered me.

"I don't have any siblings. My mother and father were farmers." Pretty standard. Boring. But at least it wasn't filled with drama and bloodshed and boys who got deliriously drunk and evil girls with brown eyes that showed up and -

"Really? Farmers? How interesting," I said, trying to ignore my own thoughts. "Do they, um, like farming?"

"They're dead," he said shortly. "Died years ago when Cenred's men raided our village." Oh. Maybe there was a little bloodshed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't -" He just shook his head.

"It's okay. I wasn't very close to them anyway." Percival was making it really hard to keep up a conversation. At least I could have consoled him for a good five minutes or something but no; apparently, he hadn't been close enough to his parents to mourn them! I tried to appreciate that he was the strong, silent type, but so was Lancelot and _he_ could keep a conversation going!

"Well then... uh... how do you like Camelot?" I asked, frustrated.

"It's nice," Percival replied. This guy needs some more vocabulary! Before I lost it, I decided to try one last time.

"How old are you?"

"Does it matter?" Are. You. Serious? I guess he must have sensed my complete and utter surrender because he suddenly started laughing.

"Gwaine was right. You are kind of fun to annoy. It's kind of funny. Scary if you're on the receiving end, but funny if you're just a bystander." That pulled me up short. Wasn't he on the receiving end of my anger? And when were he and Gwaine talking about me? The thought was scary enough that I shuddered. I didn't even want to know.

"I thought you were more of a gentleman than that." He looked down, a little embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I've never talked to a real lady before." He thinks I'm a real lady? What is he talking about? Clearly he's never met a "real" lady if he thinks I'm a good example. "I speak better with a sword." I laughed heartily.

"I know what that feels like. When I have that sword in my hand, I don't feel powerful or that I rule the world or anything like that. I just feel balanced, and I become one with the sword. A sword is more loyal than any trusted comrade on the battlefield. It will never make the wrong move; it will only be as weak as you will it to be. It will not turn against you and strike you down. It does not tear at the heart, soul or mind. It's not the sword that takes away men, women, husbands, wives, and children. It's not the sword that does all of those things, but the person who wields the sword. But magic, magic itself is unknown. Magic could be using us for all we know. We cannot trust everything that is magic. From what I've seen, magic either kills or heals, but it also gives you the ability to deceive and cheat. We have these tools to build and prosper, but it is up to us to decide what we want to do with them. And most of the time, we choose the wrong path, and destroy and shrink instead of build and grow. How long will humanity have to ponder this? It's simple. Just do the right thing..." I didn't realize that I had completely gone off topic. Well, don't I feel stupid. "I'm sorry, I don't know what I was saying..." He just smiled at me.

"I didn't know you were a philosopher!" He laughed at that like it was a genuine joke. Again, I tried to make a face at him and was about to come up with a witty retort when we heard a shout from Arthur.

"It's too far! We'll just have to camp here for the night." Fine by me. I was exhausted. For some reason, slowly rotting in that cell made me really tired. We all were. It took us twice as long as usual to get set up, even though all we had to do was find wood and build a fire. Just as Merlin crouched down to light the fire though, Lancelot put out his hand to stop them.

"Do we really need a fire?" he asked worriedly. Merlin stared at him.

"Unless you want to freeze, yes."

"We cannot light a fire. It's too dangerous. We're not far away enough that we can be sure no one will see it. Besides, burning dead wood probably isn't the smartest thing to do in light of the fact we just escaped from a nest of angry dryads." Everyone saw the truth of his words. Unfortunately, it would mean a cold night all around. Fortunately for me, I had Merlin. I marched over to where he was lying on his back and plopped myself down next to him. I scooted as close as I could and he did the same. Basic survival skill; huddle close together for warmth. Looking around, I could see Arthur and Gwen already fast asleep close to each other. It was cute, but a little strange at the same time. Elyan, Percival, Sir Leon and Lancelot were huddled together too, but they looked uncomfortable. I laughed to myself. Gwaine was the only one alone; he was curled up under a nearby tree. I was still completely thrown by what he had said; I was really hoping it was just the mead talking. But a little, persistent voice - one I tried very hard to shut up - told me that there was a very good chance I had come full circle, and the boy had kept his promise to see me again. I remembered that Merlin probably didn't know what Gwaine had said to me when he was drunk. I turned around to tell him when I saw that he was already out, his head lolling against my shoulder. I sighed. I'd wanted to tell him about what Gwaine said. Not only did I want to, I had to tell him. Merlin made sense of everything; he could tell if Gwaine the boy or not, or if in the end it truly was the mead that was talking.

"Merlin," I whispered in his ear. I knew how exhausted he must have been from the past few days, so I decided to not wake him up rudely as I did before. "Merlin. I need to talk to you." I slightly shook him, to wake him up slowly. I knew waking up Merlin wasn't a good thing.

"Yes, Hale?" he said wearily. I love that no matter what, he always had time to talk to me, and he always made time to do so. He was a true friend.

"Never mind," I said absently. "I'll tell you tomorrow." He grumbled and made those cute sounds babies make when they're tired or about to fall asleep. It was almost like he was smacking his lips. He adjusted himself slightly and fell back asleep. It always seemed like I was the only one left awake to ponder my thoughts. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of night. It was like music. You could hear the crickets chirping and a low buzz, probably from some kind of beetle. An owl hooted and the wind whistled in the trees. As I was listening to the night's lullaby, I could hear somewhere in the distance a screech of anger. They probably found out that we had escaped. It didn't matter if they did; I was too tired at this point to care. I listened to the slow, steady rhythm of everyone's breathing. My breathing soon fell in rhythm as my whole being was enveloped with fatigue.

* * *

><p><em>Clashes. Why do I hear clashes and screams? My heart is racing so fast I'm sure it will fly out of my chest. I lean back onto a big black rock, and a shard presses sharply into my back, but I feel no pain. In fact, I feel nothing; I am numb. We're losing. We're losing and everything is lost. I knew I should have listened to them. I did everything they told me to, except that one last task. It was unnecessary and inconvenient, but my failure to fulfill it led the world to ruin. I look up to see the darkening clouds roll over as they bring rain with them. At least the rain will wash away my mistakes, and take the blood of the fallen downstream with it as it flows to the river and then out to the sea. The rumbling of thunder is echoing in my head, as if mocking me in its own cruel way. Stop it! I know of the mistakes I made. The wrong path I chose. Now I have come to the end. I am no more. Everything is finished, and there's nothing that can be done. They did this to me. They knew this could have happened and they didn't stop me when I began making deadly mistakes. Why? Why?! As I look up again, I see a bolt of lightning heading straight for me. Straight for my life, the last thing I have to offer. As soon as the bolt hits me, I am pulled into its light. I am being sucked in and spinning around really fast. Finally, I hit the ground. I'm disoriented from the fall, and it takes a while for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. I am inside of the dyad fortress again. When the dryads first captured us, I wasn't able to get a good look at what the tree really looked like.<em>

_I am inside the tree, and it's about six hundred feet wide. All around are small, hut-like buildings made out of wood, and each house has a torch right next to the front door. I look up and see the night sky, and this time I know it isn't glowworms. Right overhead, the full moon is shining brilliantly. I have a sudden urge to look down and so I do. Right where I am standing is a strange network of swirls and lines that make up some kind of symbol. I suddenly realize it's a star, and that there is some kind of writing around it in a circle. I recognize it as writing from the old language._

_I'm studying it when I hear footsteps. I hurriedly look for somewhere to hide, but I can't find anything. I see some stairs leading down, probably to where the dungeons are, or it could be something else entirely. I decide to take a risk and run down. I run across the pavilion and to the stairs._

_Right as I am about to go down, I notice there is a guard staring straight at me. I run, waiting for him to chase me, but he doesn't move. Another dryad walks right in front of me and enters one of the huts. A few more walk right past me again and look back, but still they don't react to my presence. Am I invisible? I decide to try something out. I walk down the stairs to where the guard is, and stand in front of him. He is another creature like Heimech. I wave my hands in front of his face. He doesn't blink. I jump up and down and scream at the top of my lungs. Still nothing. Finally, I hit him with all of my might. I hit him on the arm, or I'm trying to, but it seems like I missed. I hit him again and realize that my hand goes right through him. _My visions,_ I remember with a jolt. _Is this one?_ I come to the conclusion that it must be. So that means no one can see or hear me? Wonderful. Maybe I can see what's going on, and why Gizelle - if that was even her name - had us all captured._

_I walk down the stairs and turn a corner. I look to my right and see where the dryads kept us prisoners. All the lines of cells are empty. I look to my left and see a corridor leading down to a narrow passageway. A short, stocky man walks past me and hobbles down there. I follow him through the dimly lit passage. It's very long and it seems like there is no end. The little man scuttles along down the hall. Finally, we come to a large, brightly lit room. I can hear voices. They are furious about something. One sounds like a woman. I follow the little man into the room. It's huge and so exposed that I wouldn't actually call it a room. It's more like a cave. There is a giant bonfire in the middle of it, almost reaching the cave ceiling. The female dryad from before and four others are conversing in a corner. There is another woman, the one that I could hear from the hall. She wears a crimson dress and her black locks fall down to her waist._

_"They got away? I bring them to a place where it's impossible to escape from and they got away?!" She sounds frustrated._

_"Well, it seems that they got some help from their prison guard. It was one of the human ogres we've been harvesting." I gasp. The human lady spins around and looks right at me. It's Morgana. _She can see me!_ I realize in fright. She looks around me, searching, and then turns around again._

_"Obviously those creatures are stupid! We have to find them. If they get away, they'll try to find the daughters of Arianrhod, and will be blessed with the wise words that will help defeat Cairon. We must catch them. They are stupid, and have probably decided to rest before going on. We must catch them by surprise."_

_"That's where you are wrong, young sorceress. Let them go. Let them look. They'll never find what they are looking for." The female dryad waves her hand, and from the wall of the cave two faces appear. They break from the rock and make up two bodies. The dryad produces a small ball of light and sends it to the rocks. The light hovers over the rocks and starts to orbit around them. It starts slowly, and then gains momentum until it's blowing wind as strong as a sand storm. Finally, the light explodes and I hear the sound of the rocks cracking and then hitting the ground with a thunk. There, being held by two dryads, are my sisters. They look weak and tired, and worst of all, helpless. They look in my direction and stare right into my eyes. _Help us,_ their eyes plead. They avert their eyes quickly and look back at Morgana. She smiles maliciously at them._

_"You thought you could hide from us in that glade of yours. Your magic is nothing compared to theirs and mine."_

_"What do you want from us, Morgana?" the wise sister asks warily._

_"Ide, it's so nice to meet you. Now, don't you worry. We just need to keep you here in the hopes that your little friends never find you."_

_"How do you know my name?" Ide asks, drained of all emotions._

_"Doesn't everyone?" Morgana smirks. My blood boils._

_"Well, they'll find us!" my other sister says. She looks very tired, but her voice is strong._

_"Are you sure of that? If you knew anything about those fools, you'd know they would do anything to continue on their quest to rid the world of magic. Why are you helping them if they're out to destroy your kind?"_

_"Cairon is _not_ our kind!" Ide's voice is harsh. "Cairon kills with his power. He destroys things. No, we're not the same."_

_The room is getting darker. I think that maybe the fire is slowly dying down. But as I look at the fire, I can only see an outline. It looks like it's still big, but there isn't much light coming from it. I am suddenly plummeted into blackness, and I feel like I am being sucked back. I fly backwards down the hall and up the stairs, then out of the fortress. I'm finally sucked back to where we are all resting. It's then I realize what just happened. I am being sucked back to my body._


	29. Chapter 29: New Direction

**Chapter 29: New Direction**

It was like I was being shot out of my body, and I sat up abruptly. They had my sisters, and we had to save them. We had to save them from Morgana and a nest (is that the right word?) of extremely angry trees. How on earth were we going to do this? I flopped backwards with a groan, accidentally whacking poor Merlin in the process.

"Seriously? Am I really good for hitting or something?" he asked groggily.

"Sorry, sorry! That was an accident, I swear!" He glared at me sleepily, then his eyes widened.

"Are you okay? You don't look so good..."

"I - I'm fine. Well... actually not really. None of us are." He raised an eyebrow in question.

"Another dream/vision thing?" I nodded miserably. He waited for me to elaborate, wide-awake now.

"It was horrible," I began haltingly. "I was overwhelmed by this feeling of pure... despair. Hopelessness. We were losing... a battle I think. It looked like we were on a battlefield, and there was so much screaming..." I shuddered. "Anyway, one minute I was slumped against a rock, and the next minute a bolt of lightning hit me. I was somehow transported back to the dryads' tree. I was so scared they'd discover me, but the weird part is, I don't think they could see or hear me. I walked right in front of a guard and jumped up and down, screaming, and he didn't flinch. Many walked past me as well. Then I followed some little man to a cave - I think it was a cave - and the female dryad was there, along with her followers... and Morgana." Merlin sucked in his breath sharply, and a spasm of - was it guilt? - briefly flashed across his face. His face pale, he motioned for me to continue.

"They were talking; Morgana was angry - no, furious - that we had escaped. She wanted - er, wants us found at all costs. The dryads told her not to worry. They performed some sort of spell, and my sisters fell out of the rock walls. It was really weird; it was like the rocks cracked open to reveal my sisters. I don't know how the dryads did it, but there my sisters were, weak and helpless and -" I gritted my teeth. Just thinking about the looks on my sisters' faces made my blood boil. "Anyway, I think they could see me because they looked directly at me and it was obvious they wanted me to help them. Actually, I think Morgana may have seen me too, but she didn't do anything so I'm not sure. I didn't see Gizelle anywhere; I don't know where she went. But the point is, Merlin, we need to rescue them. They are our only hope." I heard the desperate pleading in my voice. I realized then that the desperation I felt wasn't for the world; no, it was for my sisters. Even though they had made my life a whole lot more complicated than it needed to be, they were still my kin and I had to save them. Merlin just stared blankly ahead for a few seconds.

"So that's it then. No more 'heart of the forest' business. We just look for a cave where Morgana and the dryads are hiding?" We both heard the defeat in his voice. I nodded mutely. We sat in silence for a few seconds. "The dryads may look sweet and gentle, but they are powerful beings. Their magic is nothing compared to mine, though... at least, that's what I've been told," Merlin said.

"Well, what about my power? Both of us combined could be powerful."

"Powerful yes, but not nearly as powerful as hundreds of nymphs using magic."

"So how are we going to tell Arthur?" I asked hesitantly. Merlin sighed.

"I think we're going to have to tell him the truth about you."

"But that would involve telling him about how you're a Dragonlord and that probably won't go over well."

"Not necessarily. We can bend the truth a little bit and just tell him about the dreams and how... your sisters told you who you really were." I just looked at him.

"You really think it will work?"

"With Morgana involved, it has to," he said wearily. We sat in subdued silence for a moment. "Is there anything else that's bugging you Hale?" he asked, taking me completely by surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"I can tell that's not the only thing that's bothering you. The biggest worry, perhaps, but not everything." I looked at him, wondering when we'd gotten close enough that he could tell what I was feeling.

"It's... Gwaine. His drinking problem -" Merlin groaned.

"He didn't pack mead in Percival's bag, did he?" I laughed humorlessly and nodded.

"What do you think, Merlin? It was a mess! While we were still trapped in the dryads' tree, he got drunk and talked to a prison guard - Heimech, to be precise. Gwaine's drunken words convinced Heimech to help us escape. Anyway, when he was drunk, he went on and on about whatever... I think at one point he asked for dandelions... and then..." I stopped, unsure how to proceed.

"What, did he profess his devotion to Gizelle or the chamber pot or something?" Merlin joked and laughed at the silly suggestions.

"No. He saw my necklace and started going off about how it was his mother's and he stole it, etc... I thought it was just the mead talking, but then he started going into other details about his past life, like how he rescued a girl from a fire that took his family as well as hers... and how he remembered her cooking, or lack thereof, and the way she would scold him for his bad drinking habits... the day he left her..." I trailed off, unable to go on. Merlin looked somber.

"So you think he's the boy?"

"I don't want to," I whispered. "It would make things more complicated, but in a way it makes sense and -"

"No drunk man can spin a tale that accurate," he finished for me grimly. "Oh Hale..." I just shook my head miserably. The thought of Morgana being responsible for my sisters' lives was enough to crush my hopes, but the added thought of the whole Gwaine/Boy mess was too much. I brought my knees to my chest and hid my face. Merlin gently patted my back, not knowing what to say.

"You know what? Let's tackle our problems one at a time. The biggest one is definitely Cairon. Once we bring him down, you can tie Gwaine up and question him."

"I've been swallowed up in my own self pity for too long. You're right Merlin. This moping around is stupid, pointless, and a waste of time. We need to rescue my sisters, and end the reign of Cairon." Merlin clapped his hands.

"There's the Hale we all know and love! Well said. You will make a fine queen someday!" I rolled my eyes at him. He's always making jokes at the oddest times. It must be his way of relieving pressure or anxiety. I suddenly remembered Gaius' calm demeanor in contrast to Merlin's excitable personality, and for some reason, I wished he were here to offer fatherly advice.

"So, how are we going to do this?" I mused. "We can't just barge in with ten people and expect to win. Only eight of the ten of us can actually wield a sword. You and I possess magic, but we can't be caught unless we want to die at Uther's hand. This must be carefully executed. We must plan. They're probably waiting for us, but from what I saw, they have no clue that we know about Ide and Jade."

"Ide and Jade? Those are their names?"

"Do their names really matter, Merlin? Do you have any clue as to how we are going to approach this problem?"

"Well, first how are we going to tell them how we even know Jade and Ide are in there?" We looked around at our friends. The crickets were still chirping, and the wind was blowing silently.

"I'll tell them I snuck down there."

"What! Are you mad? That's usually what Arthur or Gaius would say to me, so that's saying something!"

"Calm down Merlin. Yes, I'll tell them I went down there and I saw them bringing in Jade and Ide."

"But what if they ask how you know what they look like?"

"So what if they do!" I felt bad for yelling at him. I was just so frustrated. "I'm sorry Merlin. We just have to try. We have no other choice. This is the only thing that may possibly work." Merlin sighed. I took that as a yes and decided to wake everyone up. I went around and shook everyone awake.

"We have to go back!" I shouted as everyone got up.

"Well, that sounds like a splendid idea! Who thought of that? Merlin?" Arthur had aroused from his beauty sleep. "Yes, let's just stay in their lovely prison cells, shall we? The food is absolutely magnificent, and the nonexistent beds are the best I've slept in. So why not go back?"

"We have to go in there! The two sorceresses are being held prisoner. They're our only hope right? We have no purpose unless we have them. We have to rescue them!"

"How do you know this?" Elyan asked suspiciously as he stood up. I considered telling them the truth. That was the plan after all, right?

"I - I couldn't sleep last night, too much was on my mind. I took a walk, and I guess I walked too far." I was telling half a lie. It wasn't a full lie because I had actually seen my sisters being held captive, but it wasn't the full truth. Something I wasn't proud of, but I was good at. "I walked to the fortress and I saw two dryads dragging along two women. They were extremely beautiful; one was blond and the other had dark brown hair. They matched the description the legend told of. There was also this... aura about them. It was a soft, but powerful aura that seemed to give off magic. I'm sure they are who we are looking for." Merlin looked surprised and proud at what I said.

"They captured them? But I thought they were extremely powerful?"

"Well, only if the three of them are united. They are only as strong as their weakest link, and since there were only two of them..." I shot him a furious look. Merlin! I knew he had a big mouth, but I didn't know how big until now. "It - it was part of the legend Gaius told me. There are _three_ sisters, and together they're practically unstoppable."

"Three of them? Then will the two of them be able to help us with the quest we're on to rid the world of Cairon?" asked Arthur.

"We don't know," Merlin and I said as we exchanged glances. "They are still very powerful, so the dryads must have done something. But, it can't have been the dryads," Merlin murmured. "They aren't that powerful..."

"It was Morgana," I muttered under my breath.

"What did you say?" Arthur asked, even though I know he knew what I said.

"I saw Morgana as well."

"Are you sure?"

"It was as clear as crystal." Arthur looked around at us in thought, and exchanged a sad look with Gwen.

"Then we must go." Arthur got up and was about to trudge back to the fortress when I stopped him.

"We mustn't just walk in. We have to take them by surprise. I have an idea." We all huddled closer to each other as I told them their positions.

"We need some of our stronger men to take care of the guards and the dryads in the pavilion. So that would be Percival," I smiled at him. "Sir Lancelot, Sir Elyan, Gwaine, and Sir Leon." He winked at me. "And then -"

"Wait, are you saying I'm not strong enough to handle them?" Arthur demanded.

"No! But it leaves Merlin, Heimech and I to deal with the greater threat, and we will need you to help us. Now Gwen, you stay here. If anyone gets injured, you heal them, okay?" She nodded furiously. "Can you use a sword?" She smiled.

"I was Morgana's maid for years, not to mention I work in the castle. I've picked up a few tips here and there." I nodded.

"Now everyone, remember we cannot retreat! You are all stronger than them." I walked up to Percy and put my hand on his shoulder. "You mustn't lose faith." I walked to Heimech, Sir Leon, and Lancelot. "Once they see you falter, they will take advantage of you." I walked back so that I was facing them all. "When this is over and done with, I want to make sure I see all of you right here!" I pointed to the ground I was standing on. "Alive and well! We will win! We will be victorious." I looked behind me to where the dryad fortress stood. The big tree stretched up to the sky. The sun was rising slowly behind it, so we had to leave fast. I turned back to my friends and said bravely, "Let's go!" For some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling that I wouldn't see some of them again.

We ran swiftly but quietly through the trees, our swords ready and our eyes alert. Percival, Gwaine, Elyan, Lancelot and Sir Leon went first, eyes carefully scanning our surroundings. Everyone froze whenever we heard the slightest sound, but it always turned out to be something harmless. There was one point when Arthur almost attacked a rabbit, and it took a massive amount of effort not to burst into laughter at the look on his face. The enormity of what we were about to do was the only thing that kept us somber enough to resist laughing. As we neared the tree, the tension mounted until it felt like it was nearly impossible to breathe. I motioned for Sir Leon, Elyan, Lancelot, Percival and Gwaine to get going. As they nodded and set out, I looked after them in sorrow. Merlin put his hand on my shoulder and I smiled at him nervously. He raised an eyebrow and I shook my head; we needed to wait until the battle became so chaotic no one would notice us sneaking in. We stayed hidden in the forest, and soon we heard the sounds of metal clanging on metal and I swore I heard a hoot of laughter from Gwaine. I wondered if he'd gotten at the mead again.

After a while, I signaled to my companions that it was probably safe enough to go, so we sprinted to the entrance of the tree. Upon entering the doorway, we were met by quite a sight. The pavilion was in total chaos. Sir Leon and Lancelot were dueling several dryads each, and Elyan was running around with a torch. Percival was basically throwing things at the dryads, and it seemed to be working as many of them seemed to have been flattened. Literally. Gwaine also had a torch and was running around, but he was also yelling insults at the top of his lungs, infuriating the proud dryads and drawing them away from the others. With all the chaos, I couldn't see the star I knew was embedded in the floor. So far, so good. Heimech, Arthur, Merlin and I looked at one another, nodded, and then dashed for the entrance to the tunnel I had seen in my dream. We arrived quickly, panting, and were about to go inside when a young, innocent voice behind us said, "Hello, Emrys."


	30. Chapter 30: Mordred and Emrys

**Chapter 30: Mordred and Emrys**

We all whipped around and there stood a cute little boy in a dark blue cloak. He had dark hair and pale skin. He would have been just like any other little boy I've seen except for his eyes. There was something about his brilliant blue eyes that hinted at an unusual amount of maturity; they were almost hypnotizing. For a moment, I thought someone else had spoken, but then the boy repeated, "Hello, Emrys." Emrys? What was he talking about? Then I noticed that Merlin had gone stiff. He nodded to the boy.

"Hello, Mordred." Mordred? So that was his name. But why was he calling Merlin Emrys?

"You aren't welcome here," Mordred said. No kidding.

"You have friends of ours. We'd like to have them back," Merlin replied stiffly. He seemed almost afraid and guilty at the same time. Mordred was only a boy though; how could he possibly be a problem for us? Mordred just shook his head.

"I can't. Morgana would get mad. And besides," His expression darkened. "You would use your two 'friends' to destroy one of my kind. I can't let that happen. And remember what I told you; I never forget, and I'll never forgive you for what you did, Emrys." What? Merlin paled a little but kept his composure.

"I'm sorry. It had to be done." The boy's expression turned positively murderous.

"Maybe. But now you want to hurt Morgana. I won't allow that to happen." Whoa. Amend that to cute but _creepy_ little boy. Merlin sighed wearily. To my surprise, he didn't seem annoyed or shocked by the fact that Mordred was the only obstacle blocking our way to my sisters; on the contrary, he looked tired and sad.

"Look, no one has to get hurt. If Morgana would just give us Jade and Ide -"

"No!" Mordred shouted. "The sisters cannot be united! Do you have any idea what that would mean, Emrys? Do you truly understand what their alliance would do to the world? What they would do to _us_?" What is _with_ this kid? "They are creatures of magic, and yet they renounce their race to help the likes of _him_." He pointed imperiously at Arthur. "His father murdered my guardian without batting an eye. Uther Pendragon has done that to many others, killing entire families without hesitation. Those _sisters_," he snarled. "Would rather help a Pendragon than their own kind. Two of them are bad enough. But together, they would be nearly unstoppable. That can't be allowed to happen." Mordred no longer looked like a cute little boy. The fury and fear on his face reflected the fury and fear of tens of thousands of people.

"Mordred, Cairon is the one who can't be allowed to roam free. He's slaughtered innocents in cold blood, magical and non-magical alike. The sisters don't want to renounce their race; they want to stop a madman and killer from gaining too much power. The power he has now is more than he deserves." It was clear Mordred wasn't really listening. The raw fury on his face had died down to a cold, icy determination.

"Even so," he said quietly. "He is still one of us. And to get to Jade and Ide, you need to go through Morgana. But you can't get to Morgana unless you go through me. And I won't. Allow. That. To. Happen." His words ended in a hiss. Heimech and Arthur looked unnerved, to say the least. I, however, was positively horrified. It was pretty obvious Mordred was no ordinary boy, and it seemed that he had formed a bond with Morgana. He also happened to be an ally of the dark, and I was pretty sure he could use magic. He would prove to be a dangerous foe. At the same time, I couldn't get over the fact that he was just a boy who had clearly been misled. Somehow, he must have sensed what I was thinking because he suddenly turned to look directly at me.

"You're right and wrong. I am not someone you want for an enemy, but I haven't been misled. That would be you. These people have lied to you, told you that magic is bad. Magic isn't bad. You should embrace it, not fear it. It is a gift that is bestowed upon a chosen few." His tone suddenly turned pleading. "Please, you could help us. We could help you in return. Please, join us and help restore magic to the land." His pleading eyes were sucking me in. His innocence was grasping me and pulling me to his side. Arthur and Heimech looked mystified as to why Mordred was begging me, of all people, to help him. Merlin, however, looked panicked. Maybe this boy was right. Maybe I'm the one who has been misled. I _had_ been living a lie all my life.

"Hale, listen to me -" I held up a hand to stop him. I took a deep breath and turned to Mordred.

"Mordred, I know magic isn't bad. I've known that for quite some time now." Arthur shot me a look, but I ignored it. "Magic... it's -" I suddenly remembered something Gaius had mentioned a while ago. "Magic isn't good or bad. Magic is just magic. The wielder is the one who determines whether their magic is used for good or evil. Magic is not evil, but the one who is endowed with it. And joining you," I looked directly into his eyes. "I'm sorry, but I can't abandon my friends. They gave me hope when it had all but been destroyed. And I know for a fact Cairon is evil. I've seen it with my own eyes. He... he is my uncle..." I forced it out with difficulty, but Mordred didn't look surprised. "I was forced to watch as _my uncle_, a member of my own family, slaughtered everyone in the room, including my father, his own _brother_." I gritted my teeth. "He didn't just kill him; he relished in it. He was smiling the entire time. Now, he is slaughtering thousands of people who never did anything to him. Anyone who can murder his or her own flesh and blood and take satisfaction, no, _glee_ from it... is evil. I'm sorry we don't agree on that." Mordred raised an eyebrow, but remained quiet. Heimech was looking at me in admiration and Arthur whispered, "That's my girl." Merlin just gave me a small, admiring smile. Mordred sighed, and his tone became cool and businesslike.

"That's your final answer?" I nodded firmly.

"Then I have no choice but to kill you." He said it so casually and so matter-of-factly that it took me a second to realize what he said. Not to mention that line came from the mouth of a boy who couldn't be older than ten. Before I could protest, Merlin stepped forward.

"This is between you and me, Mordred. You're angry with me, and I can understand that, but only to a certain extent. I can't let you hurt my friends."

"This isn't just about you, Emrys. I can't let you hurt Morgana or rescue the two witches." Merlin's eyes narrowed. I hadn't realized until now that he'd somehow maneuvered himself so that he was in front and the rest of us were standing in the mouth of the tunnel. He suddenly whipped around to face us.

"All of you, run! Find Jade and Ide and get out of here!" he shouted. Arthur grabbed Heimech and me and dragged us down the tunnel. I tried to turn back but Arthur stopped me.

"It was our only choice, Hale," he said. "We decided that when you gave that fine speech of yours." I opened my mouth to protest, but he shushed me. "Don't argue. The faster we get - what were their names? - Jane and Eve, the sooner we can help Merlin and the others. Got it?" Resigned, I nodded mutely and we continued running down the length of the hallway. Then, to our horror we heard a high-pitched squeal. I was sure it came from Mordred. We looked back in time to saw rocks falling and the tunnel caving in and closing up a way to the entrance. I screamed out Merlin's name, and got no response in return. Arthur pulled my arm. There was no turning back now.


	31. Chapter 31: The Third Sister

**Chapter 31: The Third Sister**

The three of us sprinted as fast as we could, which probably wasn't smart since we'd be tired by the time we got there. For someone so big, Heimech could move pretty fast. We ran down the same narrow passageway I had taken in my dream. There wasn't a light at the end of the hall like there had been earlier this morning, though. That may be because they extinguished that big fire. We ran until we got to the entrance of the cave. I then realized that there actually was a light because I could see everything that was there; I just couldn't see where the source of the light was. Then, at the back of the cave I could see three figures. I could make out Ide and Jade, but I didn't recognize the third person. That was probably because that person was actually a tree, and my sisters were bound to it. It was obvious they could see us coming, so clearly stealth was no longer an option here.

"Whoa," I heard Arthur say. I already knew why he had said it. I remembered the first time I ran into Arthur. The only thing the men could say when they saw me was, "Wow." I laughed inwardly. With Heimech, it was little harder to tell, but I thought he looked slightly dazed too. Ide smiled tiredly at Arthur, but still managed to appreciate his version of a compliment.

"You finally found us. We sent out that light to guide you and it worked."

"A light? The only light I ever saw tried to kill me. I know you wouldn't try to kill me..." _I think_, I added mentally.

"No, silly girl. Morgana sent that light out. The one that almost brought you to your death."

"How do you know that?" I interjected.

"We know all," Ide replied simply. Arthur and Heimech were looking at me suspiciously; I had never mentioned lights before. I hurriedly moved on before they could grill me.

"So, that wasn't the light you sent out? Then what happened to the one you sent?" I was surprised neither Arthur nor Heimech had said anything yet. I looked at them and they looked entranced. I saw that Jade was mumbling something. She winked at me and smiled. She was probably casting some spell. But if she could do that, why couldn't she break free?

"No, sister, that wasn't the light we sent. But the light got to you whether you realized it or not. It was always with you. Try to remember something that's been with you all your life. The one thing that came and went, but was always there in some way." I thought hard. I went into a state of meditation, which was odd for me. I tried to think of anything that made sense, anything that fit Ide's description. The only things that I could think of were butterflies, specifically the blue one that had appeared to me that day with the king. I remembered it had instilled a sense of calm in me, and yet deep sadness for what I had lost. Was this what Ide was talking about? Then I recalled my journey. There was always a butterfly everywhere I went, or something that reminded me of it.

"You're a clever girl." Ide could probably read my mind.

"Well, whoopee, I'm glad we've solved that issue," Jade said sarcastically. "Now how about you help us get out of here!" she continued frantically.

"I don't know how. Why can't you do it?" I asked. Arthur and Heimech were still staring blankly ahead.

"We're not strong enough, Hale. The dryads' magic has drained us of much of our power," Ide said.

"But even if I had the strength and power to do it, I wouldn't know how to."

"Of course you would," Jade said as she tried to free herself from the bindings of the tree, like any normal person would if they were tied up by rope. "Just _think!_" she yelped and she continued her struggle against the bindings. _Think,_ I thought. But what would I think about? I'd only performed one spell with Merlin, and I hadn't even fully accomplished that because the dryads had interrupted us. Then I felt as if something had entered my body. There's no way for me to describe it, but I felt strong, stronger than I had ever felt in my entire life. Words flowed in my head of a language I never studied, and I knew what I was doing.

"_Unspene þás mægþ._" _Free them,_ I thought. Though they weren't in chains, but bound by magic, I still thought that it could possibly work. But it didn't. There had to be something else I could do. I was thinking so hard it felt like my head was going numb. Then an image of fire danced in my mind, and I opened my eyes. The look on Ide's and Jade's face was unforgettable. They looked frightened, yet excited, with a little bit of respect thrown in there too. Fire could work. Fire burns wood, and maybe the magic would somehow wear off. I put my hand out and yelled at the top of my lungs the word that would free my sisters. "_Forbearnan!_" There was a spark, and then before I knew it the whole tree was on fire. I heard Jade scream and saw to my horror that they hadn't been released, and the fire was going to kill them. Because of this, Jade lost her hold on the spell she was doing so Arthur and Heimech were brought back to reality. Arthur's eyes grew big and he fell back. He looked at my sisters in terror.

"How did this happen so quickly?"

"I don't know!" I yelled in frustration. Heimech didn't say anything, but immediately went towards the burning tree. Why was a tree in a cave anyway? Those silly thoughts didn't matter anymore. My second attempt at magic, and everything goes wrong! Heimech was in the fire, but wasn't on fire himself. How did he do that? Maybe after working here so long, some of the dryad magic was still on him. I hastily pulled my focus back to our situation and stood immobile as I watched the flames grow steadily higher, coming dangerously close to where Arthur and I were standing. I still did not move. I heard Arthur calling my name and I felt the flames lick my face but I did not move. I could not. I closed my eyes and took every ounce of strength left in me and thought, "_Brimstream!_" As I thought the word, I was able to produce a small amount of water to try and tame the fire, without it being noticed by Arthur. The fire calmed for a moment but soon continued to grow. I screamed in frustration as my eyes watered from the heat. I saw the silhouette of Heimech emerge from the fire, supporting Ide who was clutching him for support. He came and set her down gently as we heard a shrill scream from within the still burning flames. Ide slumped to the floor looking exhausted, but her concerned gaze was fixed on the flames. I looked at her and saw her attempting the same spell I had just failed at. She felt my eyes, reached out and grabbed my hand while standing up and pulling me along with her. Once she was on her feet, I understood what she wanted to do. We stood in front of the flames with our hands connected and focused all of our energy into the spell.

"_Brimstream,_" we chanted and I felt a sensation run down my arms as if they had just been covered in ice. I saw the water rush into the fire as it slowly died out and we could see the two figures that had emerged from the wreckage. Heimech looked as he had before he so easily walked into the fire, but Jade looked as if she was about to collapse onto the floor, which she did a few seconds later. She rested on the ground as she pulled her legs up to her chest and groaned into her hands.

"Worst. Day. _Ever!_" she moaned quietly. Well, at least now we knew she was okay. Both women's dresses were torn and burned at the edges. Their faces and hands were scorched from the smoke and their hair was disheveled, but nonetheless, they still looked beautiful. Arthur, who had been standing gaping at the fire the second Heimech walked right in, looked blankly around him and blinked a few times, at a loss for words. Normally, I would have laughed at his dumbstruck expression, but right now I knew my expression was probably the same. I was almost glad when I heard a rumbling in the distance heading our way. But then I remembered that a distant rumbling is what got us here in the first place. I looked at the others and noticed they heard it as well. Immediately Jade stood, facing the entrance. When the rumbling became louder, I could see the silhouette of something approaching.

My heart was beating in my stomach as the footsteps grew nearer by the second, echoing in the passageway. I heard Arthur shift uncomfortably, and saw his hand twitch; he was obviously wishing he had his sword with him. I looked at him sadly, in the hopes that I would see him alive once we got out of there. His eyes rested on something on the wall, and I saw him reach out and grab it. He held the burning torch in his hand and his face looked determined as he stared straight ahead as the dryad approached. It stopped as it reached us, its eyes scanning the wreck and the pieces left of the burnt tree. It stepped forward slightly.

"You have burned it," he said, staring at the tree, looking as if he wished it wasn't true. He raised a hand and pointed at us, at me. "You have destroyed the sacred." I stared at him, not knowing what to do. He stepped forward once more, and I looked at the others in terror. It looked just about ready to attack when Arthur leaped forward and slashed it with his torch. The dryad screamed in fury and lunged at Arthur instead.

"GO!" he yelled as he knocked the dryad down. I looked at him, uncertain if we should leave him. But that one dryad was the least of our problems; we still had a whole army of them to deal with. He yelled at us to go again, and this time we obeyed. We ran back down the narrow passageway that we came through, past where Merlin and Mordred were arguing before. Rocks were lying in piles to the sides of the passageway, but I could tell that someone had somehow made it so that we could get back through. This gave me hope that Merlin was all right.

We continued running and emerged back where we had left the others in the chaos. Dryads were lying across the floor, and I could see Sir Leon, Percival, Elyan, Lancelot and Gwaine all fighting, scattered within the chaos. I stood there wishing I could find Merlin, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. I ran head on into the fight and could sense the others following behind me. Some dryads saw us coming and turned to fight us off. We were soon engulfed in the fight and surrounded by the chaos.

I was determined to win; I was determined to find Merlin and to get everyone out alive. I didn't have my trusty sword by my side in this battle, so when I spotted a fallen dryad, I ripped off a branch. It was sharper and stronger than most pieces of wood. I ran to the dryads and pierced a dryad right where the heart should have been. The dryad looked up at me with her pretty face and smiled wickedly. She grabbed my makeshift sword and held on tight. I tried to pull it out, but the dryad was stronger than me. I yanked it and pulled with all my strength, but it wouldn't budge. She emitted a rather unpleasant laugh, and smirked at me. Almost immediately Percival came and knocked off her head with his branch and extremely strong arms. I gasped in surprise, but quickly got over it. I hit five other dryads with my branch as if it were a club. They were only getting the maximum damage that a branch can do on a dryad, which was only a small dent. Or if you were Percy, it could end with your head rolling on the floor. Clearly, our method wasn't working. We were outnumbered, and the others were getting tired, having been in the battle longer than us. I looked at my sisters to see how they were faring. They were performing minor spells of protection. I remembered something the dragon said. We were very powerful if we united together. I ran to them and told them, through some fighting, what my plan was. We stood in the center of the pavilion on top of the star with our hands intertwined. Then we looked at each other and nodded.

"_Ic the withdraf!_" we yelled, and the dryads were instantly cowering and slumping down onto the floor. I smiled. The guys looked around in surprise when the dryads they were fighting backed off. "_Ic the withdraf!_" we yelled at the top of our lungs. There was such a force that came out of us that we could physically see the magic moving in the air and hitting the trees. There was a loud booming sound like that of thunder as all of the trees were hit by our magic. We heard high screeching, and saw the dryads running away. Jade was muttering a spell. I didn't understand what she was saying.

"_May you fade, and let the wind cometh and take you away._" It was as if I could hear her actual words in my head as she was performing them. Suddenly, there was a gust of wind that made my hair fly everywhere. The others looked like they were having trouble standing because of how strong the wind was. The wind traveled to where the dryads were, and as the air made contact with them they burst into millions of tiny dust particles. And true to the spell, the wind carried them away.

I quickly stepped away from the sisters before they looked at us, but it was too plain to see what really happened. When I looked at my friends, all of their eyes went wide and their mouths slack, just like Arthur's did. I couldn't help but laugh again.

"Uh, guys? This is Jade and Ide," I said, motioning to my sisters. Ide nodded politely and Jade smiled and gave a little wave. All of the guys bowed their heads in return. Percy continued to stare at Ide, and then would glance at me slightly. I looked at him in confusion but just shrugged it off. I heard footsteps and spun around to see Arthur running into the pavilion.

"I saw you do magic! Could you do this the whole time?" He was angry, and scared. "You're one of them, aren't you? You're the third sister. It all makes sense now. I think it does." He looked into my eyes. "There was never a story about three witches, was there? You made it up, didn't you? But then how did you -"

"I saw them in my visions," I bluntly stated; there was no time to stand around and chat. He eyed me suspiciously, then looked at my sisters.

"Did you know where they were all along? You led us here to our deaths, didn't you?"

"But we're still alive, aren't we?" Gwaine stepped in.

"She wouldn't try to kill us," Percival said as well.

"Arthur," Ide said softly, "You are blinded by your father's fear."

"Excuse me?" he said rather rudely.

"You are looking at the world through your father's eyes, and he is blind. He only sees the evil that could come of things. He thinks magic is only meant to kill, but it can also be a force for good. It could build his empire." Arthur's eyes shifted uncomfortably. He looked at me for a long time.

"We need their help Arthur. _I_ need your help," I pleaded. He looked away. I was sad that I had lost his trust, but I would have to work on repairing our friendship later. Right now, we had bigger things to worry about. Silently I counted heads. There was Sir Leon, Lancelot, Percy, Gwaine, Arthur, Heimech, Jade, Ide, but no Merlin or Gwen. I knew where Gwen was, but I had no idea where Merlin was. My relief vanished.

"Has anyone seen Merlin?" I said, my voice trembling slightly. I looked around and saw Arthur's face suddenly look horrified as he looked around the pavilion.

"We have to go find him!" he said quickly, walking towards a different exit. Before he could leave, a voice spoke from the shadows.

"Going so soon?" it taunted. I froze and turned just as the person stepped out of the shadows.

_Morgana._


	32. Chapter 32: Like Mother, Like Son

**Chapter 32: Like Mother, Like Son**

My fists clenched and my face hardened as she stepped forward with a smirk plastered on her face. Mordred followed her silently like a shadow, which made fear rise up in my chest. If Mordred was here, where was Merlin?

"Morgana?" Arthur asked in shock. She smiled maliciously, with a twinge of genuine sweetness. A shadow of what she used to be.

"How sweet, he remembers," she said, sounding as though Arthur remembering her name was the last thing she cared about.

"What do you want?" I hissed at her. Her smile faltered as she glared at me.

"I think you can answer that yourself, Hale." I blinked, not responding. What on earth would she want with -?

"Maybe. And I can also tell you _it won't happen_. We're going to bring him down and you too if you get in our way. Sorry, today isn't your day, my lady. But then again, what real lady kills and kidnaps?" My tone changed from sarcastic to deadly. "_Where is Merlin?_" Morgana smiled.

"Oh, Merlin. He knew long before the rest of Camelot when I no longer owed my allegiance to the king. Of course, he was a servant; what could he do about it? He couldn't exactly tell the king his beloved ward - no, his beloved _daughter_ -" she snarled. "Would turn against him. Nor could he tell Arthur. We were siblings; it wouldn't have gone well for him if he did. Merlin is much smarter than he looks. Unfortunately, it's what's gotten him into trouble. I fear if you don't calm down, he may never live up to his full potential." The deadly purpose in her voice shut me up. This was a woman who had bitten the hand that fed her, clothed her, and loved her. There was no doubt in my mind she was willing to kill her former friend if need be.

"You. Wouldn't. Dare," Arthur snarled. He was white and shaking, though not from fear. Arthur Pendragon was furious. A furious Pendragon is not someone you want to mess with. I was surprised by his intensity, though. He complained about Merlin so much I didn't realize how much he actually cared about him. Clearly, neither did Morgana. For the first time, she looked slightly taken aback and her smile faltered a little. Then her smile returned with more malice than before.

"Well, well, well. It seems that Merlin has made a powerful ally. Or should I say friend? I could never tell which, you treated him so awfully sometimes. What would you do if you never got the chance to apologize for your behavior? Never told him how much you truly appreciated his help and companionship, and his lack of fear of treating you like an equal?" Arthur turned paler still. He was astonished that she knew all of this.

"Yes, Arthur. I know. I know what you think of Merlin, your father, _Guinevere_... In fact, I know how all of you feel. I know what will be. And so does Mordred." The boy didn't blink.

_Don't worry about Emrys._ My sisters and I jumped. It sounded like Mordred but... his lips hadn't moved. _If you cooperate, you can have him back._ My sisters turned pale as soon as they heard the name Emrys. Clearly, they knew what it meant. And whatever it meant, it made Merlin extremely important. Why?

"How?" Sir Leon asked. "How could you possibly know what will be?"

"Didn't they tell you? I have the power of the seer. I know all." Everyone, including me, was completely unnerved by this. Seers were rare, but they were truly gifted. Their predictions pretty much always came true in some way or another. Morgana looked smug; did that mean she had foreseen the outcome of this battle, and it had gone her way? That thought was enough to kill any hopes I had, so I immediately shoved it to the very back of my mind. Mordred still hadn't blinked. This kid was seriously creeping me out.

"So... when did you inherit the dwarf - uh, I mean, boy?" I asked. Morgana's smile faded in an instant.

"His name is Mordred. I believe you have already met. He's as good as a son to me." Her tone was icy. Clearly, the Mordred path was the wrong one to take; I could see the mother within her coming out in defense of her child... although I didn't think he was hers biologically.

"Enough! Where is Merlin?" Arthur demanded. Heimech stepped forward, as did the rest of us. Morgana raised a hand.

"Now, now, we wouldn't want this to end in violence, would we?" Our faces clearly said it must, so she sighed. "It would be wise to watch your step around me. With one word, I can do _this_," She muttered something under her breath, and Heimech gasped. I whirled around to see him clutching at his stomach, where bright patches of crimson were starting to blossom. Cries of shock and outrage exploded from my companions. I stared in horror for a second, then rushed to him and tried to stop the bleeding. I might as well have been trying to give him two eyes. These weren't ordinary cuts; they were cursed. I could do nothing but watch as Heimech slowly bled to death. I clutched his hand and watched the life fade from his single eye. He looked at me and whispered something.

"What is it?" I whispered back. He tried again, but a bubble of blood filled his mouth so he couldn't speak. He gagged, then spit the blood out and tried again. I still couldn't understand him, but all at once I felt a sense of strength flooding my body. Numbly, I realized what he had done. He must have picked up a few spells from living around the dryads for so long. He had used his last breath to cast a spell to make me stronger. As my tears started to drip on his shirt, his hand grew slack in mine. His eye was staring blankly at the ceiling. Tears were still flowing down my cheeks as I gently closed his eyelid. I hadn't known him for very long, but he'd saved our lives more than once in the short time I had known him. Sniffling, I rose and turned to face Morgana. There was murder in my heart for the sick, heartless witch who stood there smiling so serenely. Ide saw the expression on my face and put her hand on my shoulder.

"There's nothing you can do for him now," she hastily murmured in my ear. "What you can do is think. Don't do anything stupid. She will try to goad you, but you cannot succumb. He risked his life and eventually gave it to save yours. Don't throw that gift away." She couldn't have said anything better to calm my fury enough for me to think clearly.

"Your sister is right. Don't do anything rash, Hale... if you can help it. I hear you're notorious for acting before you think. You'll drive people away by doing that. In fact, your jealousy and insecurities are starting to drive away the man you love. Isn't that right?" She turned to Gwaine, who was still numb with horror and shock over Heimech's sudden, brutal murder. Morgana smiled sweetly and her features began to distort. In a matter of minutes, Gizelle the Brown-Eyed Beauty was standing before us, wearing Morgana's beautiful but evil grin. Gwaine stepped back in terror.

"But... you... you're... Galaeus' daughter! You... you can't possibly be..."

Morgana snorted. "I killed the girl before you arrived with Hale and her head injury. She's been dead for weeks." I recalled Galaeus saying his daughter never returned, and suddenly everything made sense. I didn't think Gwaine's face could get any whiter without him dying instantly from blood loss.

"You heartless, soulless, _evil_ witch!" Elyan spluttered. Morgana shook her head.

"You only think I'm evil because you have been misled. I don't like to kill. I don't consider it entertaining or enjoyable at all. I do it for what I believe in. I do it so that magic may once again roam free throughout the land without fear of being persecuted. That's where our opinions differ." Her eyes narrowed. "You seek to help Uther Pendragon, a man who murdered countless innocents without a second thought. Yet you desire to kill Cairon for doing just that. Does that make any sense to you?"

"_Enough_, Morgana," Jade said harshly. I hadn't heard her really talk until now. "Give us Em- Merlin. Now." Morgana smirked.

"Why would I do that? Maybe I could use a servant myself."

"Be reasonable, Morgana. Do you really want to take us on? Don't you remember the last time we battled? And that was with only two of us." Now Morgana laughed.

"As I recall, I managed to bring you here and trap you and have prevented your escape. Do you really want to take _me_ on?"

"You had the help of about five hundred dryads," Jade snapped. "I'd hardly call that an accomplishment, considering dryads are ancient beings with more power than you'll ever possess. There's also the fact that these _imbeciles_, as you seem to think of them, managed to stay alive and overpower many of those same dryads. So choose wisely, _my lady_." Her last words ended in a snarl. Morgana raised an eyebrow.

"Now there's the Jade I've heard about! I was beginning to wonder if that was all true," Morgana mused. Jade looked ready to lunge for her throat.

"Stop playing games, Morgana," Lancelot said quietly. I couldn't figure out how he managed to stay so calm throughout everything. "Where is Merlin?"

"It's nice to finally find a rational person here, Lancelot. And about dear Merlin..." She began to pace back and forth, and with every step my anxiety grew. I was wound up so tightly I thought I was going to snap. She abruptly stopped, and turned to Mordred. "Do you think we should tell them?" she asked. The boy looked at her, then shrugged.

_Why not?_ The words echoed in my head. _It won't matter if they know; they'll never be able to get to him without our help._ I crossed my arms, waiting for her answer. Morgana thought as Mordred slipped his hand into hers. She squeezed it absentmindedly. I wondered what she was thinking about. It can't be that hard to just say it.

"WILL YOU JUST TELL US?" Gwaine roared. Morgana smiled.

"Impatient, are we? Well, if you insist..." She took a deep breath, and then shouted something so complex I couldn't catch any part of what she said. A sudden wind appeared out of nowhere, engulfing Morgana and Mordred. Mordred didn't smile, but he waved as he stared us down with those intensely creepy eyes of his.

"No!" I cried, lunging for them. But I was too late. Within seconds, the wind had disappeared, taking the two of them with it. I thumped to the ground, and Percival hurried to help me up. He shouldn't have bothered; I jumped to my feet almost as soon as I hit the ground. I stomped my foot in frustration.

"Calm yourself, Hale," Ide said soothingly. "We'll find them. We'll find Emrys and bring him home safe and sound." I gave her a suspicious look.

"Why does everyone keep calling Merlin Emrys?" I asked.

"Well, considering you can use _magic_, I'd have thought you would know by now!" Arthur said scathingly. I looked at him sadly. It was going to take a while for him to get over that. There was a small thump, and I turned to see Ide on the ground, pale and shaking. I hadn't realized how tired they were. Before I could even move, Percival was there and scooping Ide up in his arms. She was too weak to resist. Jade looked unsteady as well, but Sir Leon and Lancelot caught her before she could topple over.

"We should be getting back. Gwen's probably quite worried," Elyan said. I kept forgetting they were siblings. Somberly, we filed out the door one by one, with Sir Leon and Lancelot supporting Jade. Percival still carried Ide. As we left, I risked a glance back. The sun was rising behind the tree. Before, it looked so magnificent and imposing; now it just looked hollow. The rising sun signaled a new day, a new beginning, and I couldn't help but think, _yes._ _Everything is only just beginning._

* * *

><p>As we trudged back to where Gwen was waiting for us, I couldn't stop worrying about Merlin. Where was he? Was he all right? What did Morgana want with him, besides the whole hostage situation? Not having him by my side was like losing a chunk of myself; for all his goofiness, Merlin kept me grounded, kept me sane. Likewise, I always had his back no matter what. As we approached the campsite, we looked around in surprise. Gwen was nowhere to be found.<p>

"Gwen?" Arthur called nervously. After everything that had happened, we feared the worst. Gwen had been Morgana's maid for years. Had Morgana -?

"Who are you?" The voice came from somewhere above us, but even with the rising sun the trees were too dense to see where the voice came from. We all recognized it though, and I saw Arthur visibly relax.

"It's us, Gwen," he called. Gwen must have hidden in the trees when she heard us approaching. It was the best vantage point; not only could she see and hear whoever was coming, she could also strike them down if necessary without them realizing she was there.

"Prove it," came the harsh reply. Arthur looked surprised.

"Prove it?" he repeated.

"Yes. How do I know you aren't an impostor? With Morgana involved, anything is possible." Arthur thought for a second.

"Your name is Guinevere, you work as a maid in the castle of my father, Uther Pendragon, your father was our best blacksmith and -"

"Not good enough. Anyone could figure that out." Arthur looked vaguely annoyed, and maybe it was just fatigue but I felt a bizarre urge to giggle. Only Gwen could annoy Arthur like that and get away with it. He sometimes seemed to forget that Gwen was smart, and tougher than she looked.

"You came with myself and Merlin to save his village from a group of bandits. You were one of our best fighters. You are never afraid to... redirect me whenever I do something... less than princely. And..." He cleared his throat, and I could see his neck turning red. We were all dead silent, waiting to hear what he would say. I sighed. Merlin would have loved to be here.

"The, um, first time we, uh... kissed... well, technically I guess I kissed you..." He muttered the last few words. "Was when I... decided to, um, try to be... normal." His voice trailed off at the end so we could hardly hear him. While the rest of us looked shocked, Elyan looked positively thunderstruck. There was silence for a moment, then a rustle as Gwen climbed down from the tree behind us. She was armed with a bow and a quiver full of arrows.

"Well, that was certainly... solid proof. The first time I told you that you were being rude would have worked as well, but that will do." Arthur's face matched his bright red shirt now. He quickly changed the subject.

"Where did you get the bow and arrows?" Gwen shrugged.

"Three dryads came sneaking around and one was armed with these." She held up the quiver. "I was hiding in that tree when I saw them coming, so when they were right below me I jumped on them. They didn't expect that at all. I don't know why; shouldn't they have been able to sense me since I was in a tree? Anyway, I managed to knock two of them out with my landing, but the third dodged me. I picked up a big branch and whacked the dryad until it was unconscious. I dragged them somewhere into the forest and left them there. I figured they were trees; they'd be able to find their way home. That's when I snatched the arrows." We all gaped at her.

"Do you even know how to use those?" Elyan squeaked.

"A little. Father taught me some. But I'm hopeless. If worst came to worse, I was planning on throwing them myself." Sir Leon raised an eyebrow.

"You mean you were threatening us with a weapon you don't know how to use?" Gwen shrugged and smiled shyly.

"I figured my not knowing how to use it would end worse than if I did," she replied. We all stared at her for a minute. Arthur looked positively dazed, and maybe even a little love struck. Gwen smiled shyly at us, and then her face darkened as she got her first glimpse of Jade and Ide.

"Gwen, your medical services are required." Percival gently laid Ide on the ground, and Sir Leon and Lancelot did the same for Jade. She checked them both for a fever and any other wounds. Finding none, she came up with a diagnosis.

"They are extremely exhausted. Percival and Elyan, could you please find them a better place to rest?" We watched them carry my sisters away. Arthur went to go sit down and rest. Lancelot and Gwaine went to find a source of water. Percival, Sir Leon, and Elyan went to go hunting. We had missed breakfast and all of our food had run out. Gwen sat down and I sat across from her.

"So you found them?" she said. I nodded. "Is anyone else hurt?" Arthur was listening to our conversation. We looked at each other, and shook our heads. Gwen examined us carefully, then her eyes widened.

"Where are Merlin and Heimech?" she asked, trying to keep her tone light, but we could all hear the worry underneath. I looked at her helplessly, and she read the answer in my eyes. Tears welled up in hers.

"You mean they're both...?" I knew she cared about Merlin at least as much as I did.

"Heimech is dead. Merlin... is missing. We believe Morgana has him, but we don't know if he's..." I couldn't finish. The thought was too horrible to bear. The world needed Merlin's sunniness and lame attempts at jokes. Gwen nodded, worry etched into every line of her face. Silently, she sat there playing with the dead leaves that coated the ground. She looked at my sisters. I forgot that Gwen didn't know my relation to them.

"They're just exhausted right?"

"Mainly they need water and rest."

Then she turned her attention to Arthur's and my various bruises, burns and cuts. Once she tended to my wounds, I got up and started pacing. Now that Morgana was no longer standing in front of us, I couldn't shake the feeling that we would never find Merlin. We needed Morgana's help, but getting her help was going to be impossible. But we needed to find Merlin. There was no way that we couldn't find Merlin. We had to find him. _But it's impossible,_ a hopeless voice whispered in the back of my mind. I shoved it away. If only she had at least given us a clue, we could have some idea of where to start looking for him. _But she doesn't want us to find him, so why would she bother?_ the voice whispered again. I paced faster, running my fingers through my hair. Merlin is... Merlin. He has to find a way out of this. He always does. Where could they have possibly taken him that all of us, including two extremely powerful sorceresses, would have no chance of finding him? Had she harmed him in any way? How did she even get to him? When we left him, he was arguing with Mordred, but he seemed to be okay. When we got back, he was nowhere to be seen, but the piles of rocks were moved. Mordred wouldn't have moved them; he's the one that caused them to fall, so why would he then help us get back out? It had to be Merlin that moved them, that was the only logical answer. But then how did Morgana capture him without the guys seeing anything? He didn't come down the path that we went, and the only other way out was through the pavilion. Someone had to have noticed something... _but they were all fighting multiple dryads; it would have been extremely difficult for them to notice another person walking through, let alone look at who it was. Besides, Merlin would have stayed to fight, not left us to fend for ourselves._ I cursed the stupid voice invading my thoughts. Merlin would be fine... right? He had to be. He always was. _But what if this time is different? What if this time he isn't all right, and there is nothing we can do?_ I ran my fingers through my hair once again as I huffed in hopeless frustration. I kicked a rock that was in front of me and shrieked in pain before slumping onto it and resting my head in my hands, engulfed by my thoughts once more.


	33. Chapter 33: The Past Revealed

**Chapter 33: The Past Revealed**

Gwaine just had to come right when I hurt myself, and kneeled beside me. He laughed a little.

"Always in a mess, whether it's big or small."

"Well, you're making the mess half the time," I said through gritted teeth. My foot was throbbing, and I could feel the heat of my blood rushing to my injured foot.

Gwaine raised his eyebrows. I looked at him seriously, and cocked my head to the side. "You were brave and stupid to stand up for me like that."

"What? When?"

"When Arthur was accusing me of leading you all to your deaths." I looked over at Arthur sadly.

"False accusations are the reasons for half of the wars that occur. I couldn't let the truth be veiled."

"You're one to talk," I said, but with less sarcasm. I was still hurt and upset by what he'd said.

"I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"Why am I sorry?" He looked at me, confused.

"No. Why did you hide the truth from me? Why couldn't you have just told me who you really were?" I gazed sternly at him, hungry for answers. He stared back, but only for a moment before he looked at his hands.

"I can't -" He sighed. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me." I was determined to get the truth out of him.

"The day I left, I had to get the bounty hunters as far away from Actica as possible. Far away from you." I didn't change my expression. I just sat there and waited for him to continue. "I traveled west until I came upon a small village. I decided to stay at the inn there for a few nights and wait for the bounty hunters to leave. They didn't leave for weeks. I didn't want to arouse suspicion, so I decided get a job there."

"What was your job? " I asked, curious about what the seventeen-year-old Gwaine would do in such a small village.

"I was a thief."

"A thief?!" I exclaimed.

"Well, I was a thief already... Tended to tangle with the wrong people and sometimes forgot to pay them back..."

"And that was why the bounty hunters were after you."

"Yes. I am not proud of it, but I was just a boy."

"A boy! How old were you?"

"Seventeen," he said plainly.

"I was fifteen." I smiled at the memory. "So you were thief. What did you steal that made the bounty hunters go after you?"

"When I was ten, I stole his wife's locket." I burst into laughter. What a lame thing to steal. But I did remind myself that everything bad started small.

"Her locket? What on earth would you do with that? Was it worth it?"

"It wasn't worth much, but it meant a lot to his wife I guess because he chased me forever. One day, he caught me and told me he was going to kill me for it. I told him I would destroy it before he did unless he could pay a ransom."

"Why did you do this?"

"My father had been dead for ten years, and we didn't have any money. We traveled for years looking for a way to live. My uncle was a poor man and couldn't do anything more than muck out horse stables. I had to help my family. I had a friend who came from a family of thieves, and they taught me how to steal, and everyday I would bring back some money for us in order to live. He gave me the money and I ran."

"You gave him back the locket?"

"No way! If he wanted it back, I was getting more than he gave me." I rolled my eyes.

"So what happened?"

"Well, we were constantly moving around, and one day when I was about twelve, we were staying at this inn in some village far away from Camelot." His shoulders shook with silent laughter as he remembered his past. "I decided to cause trouble that night. That was a bad night to choose because that bounty hunter was there." I smirked a little. "I decided to wear the locket that night as well. Anyway, I guess he was staying at this man's house. I think he was the owner of the inn, but he was wealthy enough to own his own house. So one night, I snuck out of my room and took a little walk." Little walks with Gwaine always ended in trouble.

"I walked by this house, and I could see light, but it looked as if no one was inside. There was a pigpen in the back of the house. I snuck around the side of the house, opened up the pen door, and let all of the pigs run wild into the village. The bounty hunter and his new friend heard me, I think, and ran outside. The bounty hunter saw me, and I knew he recognized me. I tugged the necklace off of my neck and threw it at him as hard as I could. It worked because I was able to run away from them with a head start. I ran to the inn and told my mother we had to leave. I don't know why she decided to listen to me that night, but she did, and four-five years later I ran into that man. I was constantly running into him, everywhere I went."

"So when you left and went to the village, did they catch you?"

"No. If they had, I wouldn't be here looking at your pretty face." I blushed and pursed my lips. I glared at him, and he had enough sense to back off.

"So why didn't you ever come back?"

"I was becoming a man, Hale. I needed to sort things out in my life."

"So I was your last priority? And I wasn't part of your life?"

"See? I knew you wouldn't understand." He sighed. "There wasn't a day that I didn't think of how you were doing, but I knew that you were fine, if not better off without me." He took my hand in his. I was quite sick of the sentimental stuff, but this gesture was kind and sweet and I couldn't resist. After all, I am still a woman... deep down.

"I came to see you, but when I got to your home, it was empty." I looked away, guilty.

"Neighboring families told me the king took you under his care. There were rumors in the villages that the king wouldn't have done that unless you were important. I guess you did turn out to be important." I'd forgotten why I had come for Arthur's help: to save Actica. I was the rightful heir to the throne. Although I was starting to wonder if that was even true, considering I was one of three magical sisters who aren't related to King Hadrian at all.

"Are you okay?" Gwaine asked. His face was scrunched up with worry.

"Yes, yes," I said absently. I rose and walked towards where my sisters were. "I'll be right back." He shrugged and went to talk to Gwen.

"You haven't told me the full truth, have you?" They lay there, dormant. There was not one move or flinch. I could hardly see their chests rising and falling. I exhaled and sat down next to Ide.

"Please help me find who I really am," I whispered. Then I lay down beside them and tried to get some sleep.


	34. Chapter 34: Gone

**Chapter 34: Gone**

A strange yet familiar sound met my ears. It was the sound of laughter. I could also feel the heat of a fire on my face. I opened my eyes, and I saw the orange of the fire.

"Wake up sleeping beauty," Gwaine whispered in my ear. I suddenly shot up. Everyone was laughing. That could only mean -

"Merlin is back, isn't he?" I grinned and hugged the stunned Gwaine, and ran to meet my friend. But when I got up to run to him, he wasn't there. The happiness and the laughter I had heard a few seconds ago died down. Jade walked up to me and put her hand on my shoulder.

"He isn't here." Her eyes were intense with sorrow.

"Then why were you all laughing?"

"It wouldn't kill us to laugh for the first time in days," Gwen snapped.

"How could you be happy when one of our friends is missing?" How could I have just slept through the whole day? A whole day we wasted when we could have been looking for Merlin! The frustration and anxiety rose up in me and morphed into fury at my companions, who seemed content to just sit here while our friend was missing.

"Hale!" Jade's voiced rose a little higher than normal. "You are acting upon your emotions. That is dangerous and -"

"Yet it seems to me that's the only way we've been able to get anything done here!"

"You won't be able to save anyone like this."

"I'll prove you wrong! I'll prove you all wrong! You're all thinking the same as them." I glared at them all, but I glared at Gwaine the hardest.

"Hale, there are so many thing you don't know. We have to -"

"Stop! I am going to find Merlin, with or without your help. Don't even try to stop me!" I ran off. Anger boiled in my blood because my companions refused to start looking. Through the woods I ran to find my friend. How could they be so selfish and not look for him? Yes, he was just a servant, but he seemed to mean more than that to them. I ran through the woods as the shrubs and branches of trees scratched my skin. A cold gust of wind made me shiver violently, and the sky became dark and overcast. The air went from pleasant to icy cold, and it looked as if frost was starting to cover the trees. How odd this was. My lips became cold and dry, and they were cracking to the point where I could taste a little blood in my mouth.

I heard shouting coming from behind me. Everyone was probably calling for me, but I ignored the calls. If they weren't willing to look for Merlin, then I would have to do it alone. It wasn't in my nature to sit around when a friend was in trouble. They didn't seem to understand that. I continued running through the trees, tears blurring my vision, yet my pace never faltered. I wouldn't turn around, not now, not ever.

"Hale!" My name echoed through the trees. Suddenly, I saw a flash of light from the corner of my eye and I was thrown against a tree. The wind was knocked out of me and blood was spilling out of my mouth. I was on all fours, but someone kicked me in the back, knocking me flat on the ground. I heard shrill screaming again. I heard a laugh, a laugh I recognized, and I recoiled in fright and disgust. I tried to stand up again and support myself on a tree. I wiped the blood and sweat from my face. My hair curtained in front of my eyes as I scanned the trees lining my vision. The leaves rustled and my body tensed as I turned. My head spun and my knees buckled beneath me. My name was being shouted; the voice sounded panicked and desperate. My eyes slammed shut as I fell to my knees. Everything slowed, and my name was dragged out into a shrill scream. I felt numb; my breath caught and I sank to the floor. The forest was silenced, and I found myself wishing for the noise. This emptiness, this eerie silence could only come with one conclusion. I didn't want to know, I couldn't. Everything around me faded into a deeper darkness than before. A darkness that I could never wake up from.

_**END PART THREE**_


	35. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

They both stood around the big orb, the only source of light in the dark room. A woman with paper white skin and hair dark as night stood next to a husky man with long, gray hair and a neatly shaved beard. He wore a grey cloak, a grey tunic, grey pants and even grey shoes. The only parts of him that wasn't grey were his steely, iceberg blue eyes. He chanted a spell, and wove his hands and arms over the orb. In the orb, things started to spin. First it was spinning in all shades of blue and white. Then browns and greens were mixed in. The colors whirled until they formed a perfect picture. The scene showed six men and three women standing over a lump. One woman was crying. She had small dark curls and a tanned complexion. She wore a maid's garments, and her face was swollen with tears. There was a man with long brown hair, a black leather jacket and white tunic holding her and saying something to her. The others wore sullen faces, and each bowed their heads as if in prayer. _Perfect_, the man in grey thought with a smile.

"Cairon became impatient, my lord, when I couldn't finish the deed for him."

"That will be the death of him, his impatience. He'll throw himself into the war he is creating. He'll be the bait, and when that fish catches onto him, we'll reel it out into the air where it'll gasp for its life, until the heart stops beating and the breaths lessen."

"I see we are thinking on the same terms, my lord." Morgana smirked. Her expression hardened a little. "Are you sure Cairon has finished the girl off?"

"We will wait and see. Cairon is a powerful sorcerer, but he is no match for the magic of the Ancient True Religion. But then again, she was only in the infancy of her life. She may have been too weak to withstand Cairon's power."

"So, say he didn't kill her, would you really trust him again?" The man in grey smiled. Darkness twinkled in his eyes.

"We shall see, won't we?"

"But what about the rest of them? Surely they will go on to finish the journey she started, whether she is alive or not. They were all convinced that Cairon must be defeated. They will come to Actica and tear down the walls until they kill every last one of your followers."

"I think not. And even if they do, they don't know the hell that is heading their way." And with that, the orb lost all color and went black. The man in grey marched to the door; his shadow, Morgana, followed him out of the room.


	36. Author's Note

Thank you so much for reading our very first fanfiction! Please feel free to leave any comments, critiques, or questions you may have. We're always looking for constructive feedback.

If you liked _Daughter of Arianrhod_, check out our profile for the sequel, _Mark of Arianrhod_.


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